NYC Health + Hospitals has received approval from city council to build affordable housing at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull in Brooklyn as part of its efforts to address housing instability.
The six-story structure will house low-income individuals and patients with mental illness. It will be built on hospital land by Comunilife, a nonprofit organization that will provide on-site social services. It will feature 89 studio apartments for people who earn less than 60 percent of the area's median income. Of those, 54 will be designated for people living with mental illness.
"This project demonstrates how NYC Health + Hospitals is more than a healthcare provider — we are also a social change agent," said Ram Raju, MD, the system's CEO. "It is also a great example of what's possible under our transformation plan strategy to develop underused parcels across our health system to help strengthen our financial health while ensuring there's value added to the communities we serve."
The building will likely open in 2018.