Crews finish work on $4.3 million housing development for the homeless

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Crews have completed work on Housing Connections in Binghamton, a $4.3 million project that will provide 19 units of supportive housing to serve individuals and families who are without homes.

Funded through the state’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, the development will offer permanent housing and supportive services primarily for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

It will include veterans, the developmentally disabled, and formerly incarcerated individuals, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Built on vacant city-owned land in Binghamton’s North Side neighborhood, the two-story 12,000-square-foot structure includes four one-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom units, four three-bedroom apartments, and one four-bedroom unit. The Family Enrichment Network will provide tenants with services that include rental assistance, case management, childcare, job-readiness training, and counseling referrals.

“This is what happens when the City takes the lead to demolish blighted buildings, consolidate vacant lots and repurpose the land for community development,” Binghamton Mayor Richard David said in a release. “What’s been built is brand new housing for some of our most vulnerable residents, building on the momentum happening across the North Side. This project will help address our community’s shortage of supportive housing for homeless individuals and deliver direct access to the resources to help with the significant and lasting consequences of homelessness.”

The project relies on $4.2 million in financing through state’s homeless housing and assistance program, which is administered by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). In addition, funding for the supportive services will be provided through Cuomo’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, which is administered by the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).

The City of Binghamton also provided additional funding for the project.

“This program expands on our existing housing initiatives and advances our agency’s mission,” Darrell Newvine, executive director of Family Enrichment Network, said. “Through this project we will help to end homelessness in our community providing safe, affordable and quality housing coupled with wrap around supports designed to support and empower families and individuals in reaching housing stability.”