City breaks ground on Jamaica housing development
for homeless residents with mental, behavioral illnesses
Relieve Pain.
Regain Your Life.
ONE ON ONE PATIENT CARE
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 13-19, 2019 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Residents facing homelessness
with mental and behavioral
health concerns will soon
have a new place to call home in
Jamaica.
Local elected officials, community
members and city officials
on Nov. 26 broke ground at
161-01 89th Ave. that will become
the site of a newly constructed
46,000-square-foot, eight-story,
70-unit apartment complex for
chronically homeless individuals
with serious mental illness
from the New York City Homeless
Shelter system and for lowincome
individuals 62 years of
age and older.
Following the groundbreaking
ceremony, a reception was
held at the Jamaica Central
Public Library at 89-11 Merrick
Blvd. with supporters involved
in the development.
“All neighborhoods around
the world have citizens who
struggle with mental illness
and homelessness. It’s important
that community leaders
not turn away from these individuals,
but rather work with
partners in the public and
private sectors to find helpful
solutions,” said Hope Knight,
president and CEO of the Greater
Jamaica Development Corporation.
“GJDC supports this
project and TSINY’s work as an
excellent operator and provider
of supportive services.”
The building, operated by
Transitional Services for New
York Inc. (TSINY), will provide
tenants a range of programs and
services including assistance
dealing with substance abuse,
budgeting, housekeeping, cooking
and more.
TSINY is not-for-profit, multifaceted
mental health corporation
that provides communitybased
services to individuals
recovering from mental illness.
TSINY tenants also receive a
number of supportive mental
health services to promote independence
and self-sufficiency.
TD Bank’s Commercial
Real Estate Group provided a
$15.6 million construction loan
toward financing the development
of affordable housing for
homeless, according to Gloribel
Cruz, vice president of Commercial
Real Estate at TD Bank.
TD’s loan, combined with
Santander Bank’s investment
in low-income tax credits, city
subsidy and a permanent commitment
from The Community
Preservation Corporation will
allow TSINY to construct the development.
The project involves
the demolition of a vacant existing
building, the Monica House,
which historically operated as a
single-room occupancy.
“Safe affordable housing
should be accessible to everyone,
especially our most vulnerable,
and with the addition of this
new development, TD is helping
to ensure that all New Yorkers
have a place to call home,”
Cruz said. “We are proud to be
a financial institution for an organization
that is working hard
to improve the lives of those less
fortunate in our local communities.”
The project reinforces TD
Bank’s, The Ready Commitment,
a multi-year program designed
to open doors for a more
inclusive tomorrow through
community giving in four areas:
financial security, vibrant
planet, connected communities
and better health.
“Jamaica is not different
from any other part of New York
City where there is high demand
for affordable housing, special
needs housing,” Cruz said. “The
city is committed to addressing
the housing needs of this population
through their NYC 15/15
program, which matches capital
dollars with rental assistance
and social services for homeless
or frail residents.”
Community members and city officials break ground at 161-01 89th
Ave. Photo courtesy of TSINY
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