As New York City grapples with record homelessness and a deepening affordability crisis, we need every possible partner involved in the solution: developing and preserving more housing. But nonprofits are often overlooked as part of that solution, which is holding us back.
Contrary to what is frequently assumed, nonprofits are not just limited to being service providers; in fact, nonprofits can be uniquely situated to create permanent housing solutions that work.
That’s because nonprofit developers – in addition to having experience in development, ownership, and management – are also often experts in understanding and supporting specific populations, particularly vulnerable or formerly-homeless populations. If we’re going to be a city where low-income New Yorkers can successfully move from temporary shelter to stable homes, specialized nonprofit developers should be included in the development of more affordable housing projects across every neighborhood.
That’s because nonprofit developers – in addition to having experience in development, ownership, and management – are also often experts in understanding and supporting specific populations, particularly vulnerable or formerly-homeless populations. If we’re going to be a city where low-income New Yorkers can successfully move from temporary shelter to stable homes, specialized nonprofit developers should be included in the development of more affordable housing projects across every neighborhood.
Take, for example, our city’s rapidly growing older adult population. JASA has long been a leader in service provision, including running 17 Older Adult Centers across the city and providing supportive services at 18 housing developments spanning 3,000 older New Yorkers.
In addition to services, JASA is the largest nonprofit manager of senior affordable housing in the city, and also has experience as the owner of properties. From services, to management, to ownership, JASA has long-established experience in many aspects of affordable housing for older adults.
But then there’s development of new housing. The likes of Breaking Ground and Fifth Avenue Committee have long set the precedent for non-profit development in NYC, bringing tens of thousands of units online. JASA is not the first or biggest, but in recent years – seeing the intense need for senior-focused housing – JASA has stepped into this development role for the first time.
Older adults have specific needs when it comes to housing. With fewer social connections, addressing isolation is important – that requires designing buildings that promote interaction with neighbors. Limited mobility means having easily accessible food services nearby and features such as walk-in showers help improve quality of life, among a long list of other small but key development decisions.
In the past few years, we have been brought in on developments and opened hundreds of new units of housing in the Bronx. In partnership with developers, like Type A Real Estate Advisors and Xenolith Partners LLC, we helped build units specifically designed for older adults, as well as those with impairments in mobility, hearing, or vision.
At Casa Celina, all apartments have roll-in showers and grab bars, furniture throughout the building was chosen to serve a variety of health issues, such as arthritis, and there’s a fitness room so residents can stay active and maintain their physical and mental health. For formerly homeless older adults, our development team ensured that they had personalized furniture and household essentials waiting for them when they moved in.
When non-profits don’t just have a seat at the table, but a role in development from the very start, you get better design for the population you’re aiming to serve, supportive services ingrained into the building, and community coming together behind a project. These elements are key to successful housing projects.
Addressing our housing crisis isn’t just about the number of new units – equally important to building new housing is what happens after the ribbon is cut and residents have their keys. Nonprofit developers often have unique expertise across every aspect of what makes a development impactful – and particularly in serving specific populations.
With New York City’s older adult population, for example, only continuing to rise in the next decade, we know there is a serious need for more developments to be focused on seniors, and that these developments are most impactful when nonprofits with that expertise are part of the development team.
As we look forward to how we meet this crushing housing demand in front of us, we must pursue more development partnerships between for-profit and nonprofit developers.
Danielle Palmisano is the chief program officer at JASA. Donald Manning is the executive director of Real Estate & Management at JASA.
