NYC Breaks Ground on 96 Affordable Homes in Hunts Point
The Bronx development will combine affordable apartments, supportive services and job training for New Yorkers in need.
New York City and The Doe Fund have broken ground on the Casanova Residence, a 96-unit affordable and supportive housing development in Hunts Point. The project is designed to give formerly homeless New Yorkers and working-class residents a stable home while connecting those who need help with services offered inside the building.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani joined The Doe Fund and Bronx leaders for the Aug. 3 groundbreaking. City officials described the project as part of a broader effort to confront New York City’s housing and homelessness crises.
The development will include 58 supportive apartments. The remaining apartments will be rent-stabilized affordable housing available to eligible New Yorkers through the city’s housing lottery, according to the Mayor’s Office announcement.
What the Casanova Residence will provide
The Casanova Residence will offer more than apartments. The building will connect residents with programs intended to help them remain housed, improve their health and pursue employment.
Planned building features include:
- 96 affordable apartments
- 58 supportive housing apartments
- Case management
- Education and financial-literacy programs
- Paid employment and job training
- Legal and health care referrals
- Free broadband internet
- On-site laundry facilities
- A fitness center
- Landscaped outdoor space
- Community and service areas
The Doe Fund will operate the building’s supportive programs. Those services will assist residents who have experienced homelessness or are living with mental illness, substance-use disorders or disabling medical conditions.
“Affordable and supportive housing is how we build a city where every New Yorker can live with dignity,” Mamdani said in the city’s announcement.
What is supportive housing?
Supportive housing combines an affordable home with services that help residents maintain stability and independence.
Those services can include case management, health care coordination, substance-use treatment referrals, job preparation and help obtaining public benefits. Participation and eligibility requirements can vary by development and program.
Supportive housing is intended to address a central problem facing people leaving homelessness: An apartment may provide immediate stability, but some residents also need continuing assistance to remain safely housed.
At the Casanova Residence, eligible residents will be able to receive that support without traveling to several different agencies.
Apartments for formerly homeless and working New Yorkers
Of the 96 apartments, 58 will be reserved as supportive housing for eligible individuals and families. The other affordable apartments will serve lower-income and working-class New Yorkers through the city’s housing lottery.
The city did not provide lottery dates, income limits or application instructions in its announcement. Prospective tenants should monitor the city’s official housing lottery portal and avoid paying anyone who promises early or guaranteed access to an apartment.
All residents will have access to the building’s common areas and planned amenities.
Jennifer Mitchell, president and CEO of The Doe Fund, said the organization currently provides more than 1,300 affordable and supportive homes across New York City. Its programs serve more than 2,000 people each day through permanent housing and transitional facilities, according to remarks delivered at the groundbreaking.
Mitchell said the organization’s work does not end after a person receives an apartment.
“Together, we are building so much more than apartments; we are building the foundation for brighter futures,” she said during the groundbreaking program.
Job training will be part of the support
Residents will have access to The Doe Fund’s employment services, including its Ready, Willing & Able program.
The organization reported that the program has helped approximately 15,000 New Yorkers experiencing homelessness obtain employment, housing or both. Its approach combines paid transitional work with occupational training, case management and individualized support.
That focus reflects an important part of the Casanova Residence plan: Housing can offer safety, but employment and continuing services can help residents build longer-term financial security.
The building’s support programs are expected to include:
- Individual case management
- Adult education
- Financial-literacy instruction
- Paid work opportunities
- Vocational training
- Health care coordination
- Community activities
A larger investment in supportive housing
City officials said the Casanova Residence is one piece of a much larger housing strategy.
The Mamdani administration plans to invest $1 billion in supportive housing over the next two fiscal years. According to the city, that represents a 60% increase from the previous two-year period.
The administration’s broader housing plan calls for creating 200,000 affordable homes and preserving another 200,000 during the next decade. It also includes investments in public housing, tenant protections and homeownership opportunities.
The city has launched a Supportive Preservation Program to help protect existing supportive housing developments. That program offers funding and technical assistance for properties supported through city, state and federal housing programs.
Officials also said the city’s housing initiatives seek to reduce development timelines by as much as two years. The goal is to move projects through planning and approval processes more quickly without abandoning required oversight.
Hunts Point continues its transformation
The Casanova Residence will rise near the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, a facility remembered for harsh conditions and allegations of abuse.
That property is being redeveloped as The Peninsula, a mixed-use campus expected to include 740 affordable apartments, commercial space and outdoor areas. City officials have also announced plans for a city-operated grocery store at the site.
The projects represent an effort to replace a symbol of institutional neglect with housing and neighborhood resources.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said supportive housing provides more than a roof. It can serve as a foundation for better health, greater independence and stronger community connections.
For Hunts Point, the investment arrives in a neighborhood that has long faced housing, health and environmental challenges while also serving as one of New York City’s most important food-distribution and industrial centers.
Questions remain about cost and construction
Affordable housing projects often face criticism over their construction costs, complicated financing and lengthy development schedules. John McDonald, The Doe Fund’s executive vice president of real estate, acknowledged during the groundbreaking that such projects can be expensive and time-consuming.
The Casanova Residence encountered delays following the COVID-19 shutdown and difficulties securing financing, according to McDonald. The development ultimately moved forward with support from city agencies, nonprofit lenders, banks and private financing partners.
City leaders say streamlined approvals can shorten the process. However, speed must be balanced with financial transparency, construction safety, fair labor practices and meaningful community involvement.
The Mayor’s Office announcement did not state the project’s total cost or a specific completion date. Those details should be made public as construction moves forward.
A step toward lasting housing stability
The Casanova Residence alone cannot solve New York City’s housing or homelessness crisis. Ninety-six apartments represent a modest number in a city where the need for deeply affordable housing remains substantial.
Still, the project demonstrates a practical approach: build affordable homes, reserve apartments for people leaving homelessness and place needed support inside the same building.
Success should ultimately be measured by more than the number of apartments completed. The city and The Doe Fund must also track whether residents remain housed, gain employment, receive effective services and feel connected to their community.
New Yorkers interested in applying should watch the city’s official housing lottery listings for future information. Residents can also follow the project and ask city officials to publish updates on its construction schedule, financing and tenant-selection process.
