RA Carri�n Attends Bronx Ground Breaking for New Supportive Housing

State and County officials attend ground breaking with RA Carrión pictured in the middle

Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión joined NYC Council Members Mathieu Eugene, NYC Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond, Cynthia C. Wainwright, President of the Bridge, plus a myriad of State and Bronx County officials to celebrate the ground breaking for a new 17-unit Bronx facility to house chronically homeless veterans with disabilities, sponsored by The Bridge, one of New York City's premier mental health, rehabilitation and housing agencies. This was the eleventh Bridge housing development funded by HUD.

Construction of the new facility, called Bridge Gardens, has begun and is expected to be completed by the early spring of 2013. Each tenant will have his/her own studio apartment, while amenities include a community room with a small kitchen, a laundry room, and outdoor recreational space. There will be on-site case management services and the tenants will be referred to services in the community and at the Bronx VA. The Bridge will also be hiring local residents for help with program delivery and maintenance. It will also work with the Bronx VA to accept referrals of chronically homeless veterans with mental health conditions.

Along with capital funding, HUD will provide project-based Section 8 assistance. Capital funding is also being provided by the NYS Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation (HHAC) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of NY (the application was sponsored by HSBC Bank, NA). On-site services will be provided through funding from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene under the NY/NY III program. The program was awarded an Enterprise Green Communities planning grant and has been approved by NYSERDA.

The Bridge is a leading mental health, rehabilitation and housing agency now in its 57th year of working with New Yorkers with serious mental illness, substance abuse disorders and HIV/AIDS and the homeless. It serves approximately 2,000 men and women each year in its housing programs and at its headquarters where it offers mental health and substance abuse treatment, vocational training and job placement, on-site health care, and creative arts therapy. The Bridge is unique in offering a comprehensive array of services under one umbrella organization.

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