Mayor Adams, Project Renewal Open 117 Supportive, Affordable Homes
Channel: NYC Mayor's Office
Date: 14/07/2022

MAYOR ADAMS, PROJECT RENEWAL OPEN 117 SUPPORTIVE, AFFORDABLE HOMES WITH AQUAPONICS FARMING IN THE BRONX
 
Bedford Green House Is Home to New Yorkers Formerly Experiencing Homelessness,
Families Impacted by Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder, People Living With HIV/AIDS
 
Phase II of Project Will Include Homes for Low-Income Seniors, Community Medical Clinic, Library, and Learning Center
 
Project Follows Mayor Adams’ “Housing Our Neighbors” Blueprint to Get New Yorkers Into Safe, High-Quality, Affordable Homes
 
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and homeless services nonprofit Project Renewal, today opened the first phase of Bedford Green House — a project that will bring 117 affordable and supportive homes to the Bronx. The project includes 71 apartments set aside for New Yorkers who previously experienced homelessness, families impacted by mental illness and substance use disorder, and people living with HIV/AIDS; with the remaining 46 apartments for low-income households earning up to 60 percent of area median income. Project Renewal is providing on-site wraparound social services, including horticultural therapy utilizing the greenhouse and aquaponic urban farming system on the building’s roof.
 
Bedford Green House reflects the goals of Mayor Adams’ “Housing Our Neighbors” blueprint for getting New Yorkers into safe, high-quality, affordable homes. The first city housing plan to cover the entire spectrum of New Yorkers’ housing needs and options, the blueprint includes a commitment to accelerate the creation of supportive housing and complete the 15,000 supportive homes promised by 2030, two years ahead of schedule.
 
Project Renewal’s multidisciplinary team will provide wraparound, on-site services, including case management, occupational therapy, horticultural therapy, and entitlements support. Later this year, construction will begin on a second phase with 116 additional apartments, nearly half of which will be reserved for low-income seniors; a 5,000-square-foot medical clinic; a gym; and The Molly B. Kronick Library and Learning Center for residents. The medical clinic in phase two will offer primary care, pediatrics, podiatry, digital radiology, and other health care services to the whole community.
 
Integrated throughout the LEED-certified building are innovative design elements, amenities, and services that support residents’ health and long-term stability. A 1,500-square-foot rooftop greenhouse and aquaponics urban farming system allows residents to grow fresh vegetables year-round. A green exterior façade features plantings that will grow to cascade from the top floors to the ground, reducing the building’s energy use and removing airborne pollutants in a borough where children are hospitalized by asthma at a rate 21 times higher than more affluent areas of New York City.
 
Studies showing the mental and physical health benefits of exposure to the natural world inspired Bedford Green House’s design, including the interior green wall in the lobby and exterior living green facade. In addition to removing pollutants, the vines will reduce the building’s energy usage by absorbing solar radiation during the summer months. During winter months, the vines will shed their leaves and allow sunlight to warm the building. Meanwhile, Bedford Green House’s high-performance building envelope has continuous exterior insulation, which lowers energy usage and operating costs and significantly reduces its carbon footprint.
 
The aquaponics farming system in the rooftop greenhouse contains fish, vegetables, herbs, and micro greens growing in a symbiotic ecosystem. The fish live in large tanks connected to a bio-filter that breaks down fish waste and carries nutrients to the plant roots, while the plants clean the water for the fish. The space outside the greenhouse will be used for organic farming in planter boxes to grow vegetables that are less suited to aquaponics. Residents will work with Project Renewal’s horticultural therapist to grow their own food year-round, alongside their neighbors.
 
Additionally, Bedford Green House creates an inviting streetscape through landscaping along the sidewalk frontage, seats at the setbacks, the playground, and public art that encourages residents and neighbors to engage with the building.
 
Bedford Green House’s construction was financed by HDC, HPD and the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance through their Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Bank of America served as tax credit investor as well as providing the construction letter of credit. Additional grant funding was provided by the Harold and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation, TD Bank, and Deutsche Bank Foundation. Operating funding is provided by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and New York City Human Resources Administration. 

Bronx