Construction will soon begin on a supportive housing complex in Clinton Hill, with over 100 apartments designated for parents living with serious mental illness or substance use disorders, helping them stay connected with their families.
The current Emerson-Davis Family Residence, at 161 Emerson Pl., will transform into an 11-story, 103-unit development. The complex has been run by the Institute for Community Living for nearly 30 years.
The redeveloped residence will include 61 supportive housing apartments and 41 affordable units for households earning up to 60% of the area median income, with one unit reserved for a live-in superintendent. The redevelopment is expected to cost $77 million, with the city contributing nearly $20 million in subsidies.
The expanded residence will feature 44 two-bedroom and seven one-bedroom supportive apartments for parents and their children, as well as 10 studio units for single adults who may be pregnant, have infants or are awaiting reunification.
On-site services will include parenting support, trauma-informed therapy, community integration and access to ICL’s Child and Family Treatment and Support Services.
There will be shared spaces, including a children’s activity room, a community room with a teaching kitchen, a fitness center and a tenant work lounge to help create a family-friendly environment that supports healing and independence.
Of the additional 41 affordable housing units, eight units will be supported by federally-funded Project-Based Vouchers, a key source of financing for the project.
The city is excited to help expand a critical program that gets more people the mental health and substance use services and support they deserve, Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
"Our administration is focused on making our city more affordable and uplifting every New Yorker, every single day, no matter their background," he said.
The building, which is made possible with support from the city Housing Preservation & Development, the New York state Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the New York state Office of Mental Health, Richman Group, TD Bank, Council Member Crystal Hudson and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, will also meet Passive House standards for energy efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and reducing costs for residents and ICL.
“ICL’s Emerson-Davis model has demonstrated what’s possible when you combine supportive housing with family reunification services tailored to the unique needs of parents with behavioral health challenges,” said Jody Rudin, president and chief executive officer of ICL. “Housing is health care — and for families at risk of separation, housing is also the key to staying together. This reimagined building in a high opportunity neighborhood enables us to serve even more families, keeping them together and setting them on a path toward long-term recovery, stability and connection.”
ICL originally created the Emerson-Davis program in 1999 in response to a gap in New York City’s housing and child welfare systems when parents experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges had no clear pathway to housing that would allow them to regain or retain custody of their children. Emerson-Davis is still the only program of its kind in New York City.
