1080 Washington Avenue

Organization Name: Bronx Pro Group

Project Location: 1080 Washington Ave., The Bronx

Project Description:
1080 Washington Ave. is a joint partnership with Trinity-UMCS, an affiliate of the United Methodist church that formerly owned the property. The project entails the new-construction, twelve-story, 154-unit multi-family senior housing project intended to serve the growing senior population in the Bronx. 47 units (30% of the project’s total units) will be reserved for seniors who are formerly incarcerated; the Fortune Society will be engaged in the support of this population and will operate a social services space on the building’s ground floor. 106 units (75 studios and 31 one-bedroom units) will be reserved for a general senior populace. All of the units in the building will be restricted to 60% of area median income or lower. The building is leveraging available air-rights from Bronx Pro’s adjacent property through a zoning lot merger. The project will include an on-site superintendent’s unit as well as a nearly 5,400 square-foot community facility space, social service offices, tenant exercise room, a sun room to be decorated as a greenhouse fostering hydroponic plantings, a residential garden, laundry and bike storage.

Community Impact:
The development will transform the existing vacant church into a thriving residential building. The unique model for formerly incarcerated seniors will provide housing for a population with limited options. One of the key drivers of homelessness in NYC is the cycling in and out of prisons, jail, shelters, and the streets. Fortune Society is particularly suited to curb this cycle by utilizing meaningful, culturally competent services to a population, who tend to suffer from substance abuse, mental illness and, upon re-entry from incarceration, isolation. More than half of those released from state prisons are being sent to shelters. Vital to stemming the growing need for supportive housing among a highly vulnerable homeless population, a full range of supportive services enable this population to remain stably housed, healthy, and successful in achieving both their goals and those of the city; interrupt the cycle of incarceration and shelter stays.

Organization Description:
Bronx Pro Group LLC is a neighborhood-based firm employing professionals and support staff engaged in real estate development, construction, property management, resident services, and asset management. Fortune Society has over 50 years of experience serving formerly incarcerated individuals in NYC, with over 16 years of experience managing supportive housing. They are one of the few service providers exclusively dedicated to serving justice-involved individuals including those who are reentering the community from incarceration and are homeless.

Team Members:

Bronx Pro Group: Developer. Fortune Society: Social Service Provider. Curtis & Ginsberg: Architects. Steven Winter Associates: Energy / Sustainability and UFAS. AKRF: Environmental Consulting