84 New Affordable Homes For Older Adults Will Replace UWS Parking Garage

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing broke ground Friday on 84 units of permanent supportive housing at 105 West 108th St., replacing a long-vacant city-owned parking garage.

The development will provide deeply affordable homes for low-income and formerly homeless older adults, the organization said.

"For nearly five decades, WSFSSH has worked to serve and care for our most vulnerable older New Yorkers," Paul Freitag, the federation's executive director, said. "This next phase at West 108 builds upon this commitment by providing an additional 84 permanent affordable, supportive units for low-income older adults, many with a history of homelessness. Together with our partners in the City, State, and private sector, we are not just building homes; we are building a model for what this city can and must do for our growing aging population."

The building is 100 percent electric and designed to meet Passive House energy standards, with 22 studios and 61 one-bedroom apartments.

City and state officials attended the ceremony, including Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg, Comptroller Mark Levine, and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

"New York City is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, and for older adults, the need is especially urgent," Hoylman-Sigal said. "By transforming an underutilized site into deeply affordable, supportive housing, this development will help ensure that older New Yorkers can remain in the neighborhoods they call home with dignity, stability, and access to care."

In the building, 40 units will be reserved for older adults who have experienced homelessness and live with serious mental health or substance use challenges. Tenants will pay no more than 30 percent of their income in rent through project-based Section 8 vouchers.

The project builds on the organization's existing West 108 campus, which combines supportive housing, a federally qualified health center, and a shelter for older adults experiencing homelessness.

On-site services will include property management, a staffed front desk, a community room, and communal laundry.

No official construction timeline has been released yet.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.