Housing Partnership Has 20 Projects Underway in Borough
By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BROOKLYN — There are 700 affordable co-ops and homes in Brooklyn currently available for purchase by qualified buyers under programs of the Housing Partnership Development Corp.
Brooklyn residents need only apply.
They are among close to 1,000 new affordable homes and apartments — priced up to 35 percent below market value — that have been recently constructed, also including 200 in the Bronx and 75 in Queens.
In Brooklyn, the homes currently available are one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments plus several duplex units at the Bergen Street Co-ops, 1509 Bergen St. in Crown Heights; and two- and three-family houses known as the East New York Homes.
The developer is the Bethel Tabernacle AME Church of Brooklyn; they are being designed by RKT&B Architects in Manhattan.
“The application process is fairly simple for the Bergen Street Co-ops because it’s open marketing,” said Shelia Martin, director of program operations at the non-profit Housing Partnership. Describing them as “moderate income,” Martin said the prices range from $179,190 to $350,000 and the minimum income per household must be $54,000.
Brooklyn residents may contact Rodney Gierson, program coordinator, at the Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of East Flatbush (718-469-4679) to obtain an application and determine their eligibility, according to Martin.
The non-profit Housing Partnership, which has 20 projects currently in some phase of construction in Brooklyn alone, works with developers, builders and banks to create new affordable housing in the five boroughs by utilizing available federal and state grants, subsidies and tax relief designed to encourage such construction.
The Eagle recently reported the approval of funds for another Housing Partnership project in Crown Heights, the Sterling Street Co-ops at 320 Sterling St. Martin said the 104-unit rental-to-co-op conversion project (all one-bedroom apartments) is 75 percent complete and is also being handled by NHS of East Flatbush.
Another of its projects is a co-op development near the Atlantic Center in Fort Greene, a project of the Fifth Avenue Committee.
The Housing Partnership’s housing program has always been a homeownership one, according to Martin, and began by working with the City of New York on its vacant lots.
The city appoints the developer, the developer selects the design/construction team and the partnership handles the subsidy and tax relief as a non-profit.
“In our 25-year history, the Housing Partnership has participated in the development of more than 30,000 affordable homes throughout New York City, leveraging more than $2.8 billion in private sector financing,” Martin said, adding that the mission of the organization has always been to create affordable home-ownership options geared to first-time homebuyers., with the end result a revitalization of neighborhoods.
“This results from a dynamic partnership between the public and private sectors,” she emphasized.
Other Partnership Programs
The Housing Partnership also offers HUD-certified comprehensive homeownership counseling. and education classes designed to inform prospective first time buyers of the necessary steps to take before purchasing a home, including financial planning and money management, understanding credit and obtaining a mortgage.
“We will give a general overview of our programs at public meetings, but then individuals can contact us to attend our counseling and education classes,” Martin said. “And they’re easy to get to; our offices are at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue.”
Martin adds that it is tough to achieve the “America dream” of homeownership in this challenging economic environment, “but the Housing Partnership’s affordable housing programs have made that dream possible for thousands of New Yorkers over the past two decades.”
For a complete list of Housing Partnership Brooklyn projects with current or future availability, please visit www.housingpartnership.com.
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© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009
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