Real Estate

New Harlem Supportive Housing Development Breaks Ground

The nine-story building for LGBTQ youth is being constructed in Central Harlem, with support from state and local officials.

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Known as Homeward Central Harlem, the $22 million project broke ground Thursday at 15 West 118th St., between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue.
Known as Homeward Central Harlem, the $22 million project broke ground Thursday at 15 West 118th St., between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue. (Google Maps/NYS Homes and Community Renewal)

HARLEM, NY — A nine-story supportive housing facility has broken ground in Central Harlem, officials announced this week, promising to provide a safe space for formerly homeless young people.

Known as Homeward Central Harlem, the $22 million project is being built at 15 West 118th St., between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue.

Once complete in 2023, the building will provide 50 apartments for young adults in an LGBTQ-affirming environment. Services will be provided by the nonprofit Homeward NYC, devoted to seniors, young families and LGBTQ young people.

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"Every New Yorker deserves to have a safe place they can call home, and Homeward Central Harlem embraces this mission for young adults who need a secure place to live," Gov. Hochul said in a news release.

Each apartment will be a fully-furnished studio, and residents must be aged 18 to 24 when they enter. The building will have a superintendent and energy-efficient features, as well as low-cost internet for residents.

Find out what's happening in Harlemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A groundbreaking was held Thursday at the site, which has for years been an empty lot. Plans were first filed in 2019 for the building, which will be constructed by Type A Projects and Azimuth Development Group.

Assemblymember Inez Dickens said she was "overjoyed and ecstatic" to learn of the groundbreaking, citing "horror stories" of LGBTQ young people becoming homeless and suffering abuse because of their identities.

"Knowing that we will now house these beautiful young people in an environment where there will be support, warmth and understanding makes me proud to represent Harlem and continue to fight for funding for programs as such in the state legislature," she said.


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