62 Units of Affordable Supportive Housing Ready for Occupants in Ocean Hill/Brownsville

March 20, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Hunterfly%20Trace.jpg
Hunterfly%20Trace.jpg
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Compiled by Linda Collins

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

OCEAN HILL/BROWNSVILLE — A new 62-unit affordable housing complex has opened in Ocean Hill/Brownsville,  according to the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Lantern Community Services and their partners.

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The new development, known as Hunterfly Trace, at 397-403 Howard Ave., is also a supportive housing complex that will provide on-site social services for formerly homeless adults.

The development is built along a trace of Hunterfly Road that was used by Dutch settlers in the 1800s to measure plots of land. The original Hunterfly Road continues southward stretching toward Jamaica Bay and is the location of the historic Hunterfly Road Houses, according to HPD Commissioner Mathew Wambua and Lantern Community Services COO Alissa Kampner Rudin, who made the joint announcement.

Hunterfly Trace, created under the Bloomberg administration’s New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP), was sponsored by the Lantern Group, a nonprofit developer of  affordable housing.

The NHMP has funded the creation or preservation of more than 129,200 units of affordable housing across the five boroughs, including more than 31,190 units in Brooklyn and more than 4,290 units in Community Board 16, where Hunterfly Trace is located.

Said Wambua, “For our most vulnerable citizens, having a safe, affordable home is critical to building a stable future. Hunterfly Trace was designed with this population in mind, and will provide both a secure home environment and the supportive services they need.

Commented Rudin, “The development of permanent affordable housing has been a priority for the communities of Ocean Hill and Brownsville. The on-site social services at Hunterfly Trace will help improve the quality of life for the people living there, many of whom had lived in shelters for 10 or more years and have never had their own apartment.

“Not only do we work with residents to strengthen their independent living skills and foster housing stability, but we also assist them in setting employment and wellness goals. In addition, Hunterfly Trace provides much-needed affordable housing to the aging population.”

The new building features all studio apartments — including 55 reserved for homeless adults with special needs and seven reserved for neighborhood residents — plus a penthouse community space and a social services  office and meeting rooms on the cellar level.

Lantern Community Services provides the social services, which include case management, individual and group substance abuse counseling, independent life skills building, vocational rehabilitation, paid work training and employment services.

Tenants for these units were referred from the NYC departments of Homeless Services and Health and Mental Hygiene, according to Wambua, who added, “Supportive housing is permanent, affordable housing.”


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