Navy Green Supportive Housing

Organization Name: IMPACCT (formerly PACC), Developer/Owner and Brooklyn Community Housing and Services (BCHS) Social Service Partner

Project Title: Navy Green Supportive Housing

Project Location: Brooklyn, Wallabout Neighboorhood new Brooklyn Navy Yard

Project Goals:
Navy Green Supportive Housing (NGSH) was envisioned to be a sustainable and vibrant permanent residence for the formerly homeless and low income single adults which would offer deep affordability without sacrificing design ingenuity. There was a commitment to using the building itself to foster "community". A light-flooded, double-height entry invites one in from the street: an urban welcome mat. A light-filled double-height entry bridges the streetscape to the communal courtyard or ‘green’ via the “ramphitheater”. Pragmatically, it serves as a handicapped-accessible ramp which negotiates the 42” grade change, while also becomes a theater, and gathering/meeting space, and the social and symbolic ‘heart’ of the building. Varying colors and super-graphics announce each floor and unit. Stairwells are foregrounded and boldly colourful to encourage use and healthfulness. The Community Room celebrates place with an architecturally integrated mural of Brooklyn pride.

Project Description:
NGSH is a model supportive housing community with 97 single-occupancy units for 59 chronically homeless adults with mental illness and 38 low income community residents, with onsite social services and a lively array of communal spaces. The building is the proud beacon of the Navy Green development - a 458 unit, mixed-use project comprising almost an entire city block between the Brooklyn-Queens expressway and the Brooklyn Navy Yard on land which once housed the Navy Brig detention facility. It was awarded to the design and development team in a New York City Housing Preservation & Development RFP in 2007. The project represents a true community effort in which IMPACCT, BCHS and the architecture firms of the supportive housing building Architecture in Formation, PC (Design Architect), Curtis + Ginsberg LLP (Architect of Record) engaged the local community with charettes during the planning process, whose results helped define the larger Navy Green master plan designed by FX Fowle.

Community Impact:
Services include: case management, on-site nursing, horticultural and art therapy, recreational activities, vocational training, substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling, and socialization.Specialized services are provided for seniors, veterans, and ex-offenders returning to the community. During Fiscal Year 2015, 97% of Navy Green residents successfully maintained their housing or moved on to a greater level of independence. A unique feature is the integrated nature of NGSH with the broader mixed use Navy Green development, which includes the common "green". For the formerly homeless, the symbol of being connected with non-supportive housing buildings is powerful, and provides a sense of validation and acceptance. By working with the staff, residents eventually become comfortable utilizing the courtyard Over time, residents develop a self-confidence, that they can function effectively and competently in the wider world, in world outside of their building.

Organization Description:
IMPACCT, formerly Pratt Area Community Council is a non profit organization that embraces a vision in which people strive together to build an equitable, diverse, engaged, and flourishing community. Owner and developer of Navy Green Supportive Housing, IMPACCT creates affordable housing, economic opportunities and empowers residents of Central Brooklyn. Brooklyn Community Housing and Services is a local not for profit organization founded in 1978 with the goal of working to bring an end to homelessness in Brooklyn. BCHS currently serves more than 1,000 adults and children each year.

Thank you for viewing NYHC's Community Impact Gallery. Please note: NYHC does not own or manage any property. If you have any questions about a specific building, please contact the project team listed. To apply for affordable housing opportunities, see housingconnect.nyc.gov or hcr.ny.gov/find-affordable-housing

    NGSH from BQE: a beacon for the street and city

    The rampitheater helps foster community

    Community Room instills lively pride of place

    Intimate Spaces: Unit, classroom, corridor, stairs

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