Gentile secures funds to renovate home for disabled Brooklyn residents

July 22, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Martini Residence provides a safe living space to developmentally disabled adults, according to officials from the Guild for Exceptional Children. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Vincent Gentile’s office

Share this:

A group home for developmentally disabled adults in Bay Ridge will undergo major renovations to make the living space more comfortable for the residents as they grow older, according to Councilmember Vincent Gentile.

Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) secured $800,000 in city funding toward the renovation of the Gabriel P. Martini Residence, a private house at 311 Senator St. operated by the nonprofit agency Guild for Exceptional Children (GEC).

Gentile and GEC Executive Director Paul Cassone announced the renovation plans at a press conference at the Martini Residence on July 21. GEC, which is located at 260 68th St. in Bay Ridge, was established in the 1950s to serve the needs of developmentally disabled people and their families. The agency provides education programs, job training, recreational activities and housing.

As the population living at the Martini Residence ages, a major renovation of the building has become necessary, Gentile said. The ambulatory needs of the residents have increasingly become a focus, he said.

There is severe overcrowding on the first floor due to the inability of residents to walk up and down the stairs, and GEC officials said they are concerned about a safe evacuation in the event of an emergency.

Anne Falutico, an architect from Dyker Heights, is working on the renovations.

The renovations will include the construction of an elevator, new entrance ramps, handicap accessible bathrooms, upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, reconstructed hallways and a new entrance.

The goal is to ensure that the residents of the Martini Residence are able to live comfortably, Gentile said.

“When I walked through the Martini Residence a few months ago, the need for a complete renovation of the home was readily apparent,” Gentile said in a statement. “Most of the residents do not have family support outside of GEC. It would be shame for the residents to have to be moved to a long-term nursing home due to a lack of accessibility to the facilities in the building.”

Cassone said the GEC is facing challenges as its developmentally disabled clients enter their senior years.

“There are many challenges that come with senior years, and we have been in desperate need of upgrading our Gabriel P. Martini Residence to better serve the many individuals who are experiencing mobility challenges and other age-related physical challenges. These renovations are necessary in order to ensure the comfort and safety of individuals who are among the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” Cassone said.

Cassone called the renovations “life changing” for the home’s residents.