Services for the UnderServed Opens Jerome Court
May 25, 2023
Supportive Housing Network of New York
On May 24th, Services for the UnderServed (S:US) and Bronx Pro Group along with government and project partners held a housewarming for their newly re-built supportive/affordable residence Jerome Court, in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx. The new building has 105 supportive and 69 affordable apartments for individuals and families, with services provided by S:US through funding under NYC 15/15 through the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
S:US’ Senior VP of Real Estate Development Arlo Chase acted as emcee welcoming the crowd of well-wishers and providing historical background on the building, first renovated by Palladia into supportive housing that used to be a ‘hot sheets motel’ that had been a danger to the surrounding community. He noted that Lynda Jones-Johnson – who still works for S:US – was a vital partner in turning the motel into supportive housing.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson spoke next calling Jerome Court ‘a beacon of hope’ for the community and the families living there. “This is your home, your hope, your stability,” and encouraging tenants to, “take advantage of everything that’s being offered here.”
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Jr. spoke next, also remembering Jerome Court’s previous incarnation, having been part of the sting operation that closed the old motel and its prostitution ring down. The Department of City Planning’s Executive Director Edith Hsu-Chen spoke next noting how important the neighborhood’s rezoning was to the project and congratulating the team on a long, difficult process to get to this day.
Ryan Murray, HRA’s First Deputy Commissioner, also congratulated the partners noting the need for more and more projects like Jerome Court to move people off the streets and into housing.
Bronx Pro Group’s Samantha Magistro spoke of her personal history with the project and the neighborhood over the years, citing the residence’s symbolic nature of rebirth for the community and the borough.
Jerome Court tenant William Battle – a last-minute addition to the program noted his fear of public speaking but spoke briefly about his gratitude to everyone at S:US who has helped him live his best life.
Also speaking were S:US’ Interim President and CEO Perry Perlmutter, Enterprise’s VP of Acquisitions Dan Magidson and TD Bank’s VP of Commercial Real Estate Matthew Schatz.
In addition to the 175 apartments, Jerome Court features 7,000 square feet of first floor retail space and social services space, a fitness room, open space, two outdoor terraces as well as 24/7 front desk coverage and on-site laundry.
The building was financed by both NYC HPD and HDC, with a construction loan and tax credit investment by TD Bank. Enterprise Community Partners served as syndicator for the tax credits and also provided a subordinate loan to the project. The general contractor was Lendlease and the architect was Marvel Architects.