S:US Receives Grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to Rehabilitate and Preserve Supportive Housing in Brooklyn and Queens
Thank you to the Wells Fargo Foundation for a generous grant of $15,000 to rehabilitate and preserve S:US’ supportive housing in Brooklyn and Queens.
At S:US, housing is at the core of what we do. Supportive housing has been called “the most successful existing model for ending chronic homelessness among vulnerable populations” according to a NYC Council report.
While S:US is always in the process of building additional supportive housing, we are also committed to keeping the apartments we currently manage in the best condition possible. This grant will help S:US rehabilitate and preserve 306 supportive housing units in seven of our buildings in Brooklyn and Queens. All were constructed during the 20th century, and all are in need of rehabilitation.
These buildings are home to NYC’s most marginalized residents—people at highest risk for homelessness, unemployment, and untreated medical, psychiatric and substance use disorders. Thanks in part to this grant, these homes, which are studio apartments or single room occupancy (SRO) housing, will be more comfortable, modern spaces. Each unit will be completely transformed with more energy-efficient kitchens and bathrooms, new floors and windows, and fresh paint. S:US also plans to renovate the common areas such as laundry rooms, offices, and recreation spaces.
Even before COVID-19, nearly 80,000 people lived in New York City shelters. We are now facing a deepening homelessness crisis as a result of the new health and economic crises created by COVID-19. As part of the effort to house our most vulnerable citizens, S:US develops and operates housing for low-income households for whom circumstances have left them in need of a stable home. On any given night last year, S:US provided housing and shelter to more than 4,500 people.