Supportive Housing Facility For 34 Families Opens In Harlem

HARLEM, NY — City officials and the nonprofit Win (formerly Women In Need) announced Thursday the opening of a supportive housing facility for women and children in Harlem.

The new supportive housing facility will provide apartments to 34 single mothers and their children as well as social services such as financial literacy and job training, education counseling and referrals to programs for medical and mental health.

The $11.5 million housing facility located on West 118th Street was constructed and will be operated by the nonprofit Win, which plans to create hundreds of new supportive housing units to help combat New York City's homelessness crisis.

"This story today is about people's lives. About people who were homeless, who were homeless with children and who worked hard and got out of shelters and are here with us at this wonderful supportive housing building," Christine Quinn, the former City Council Speaker and current president and CEO of Win, said Thursday.

One of the supportive housing building's new residents, Jacqueline Sanchez, said that the new housing facility is like "heaven" compared to her previous living situation in Brooklyn.

"I want to thank everybody that's here for taking the time to help us find permanent housing. We really do appreciate it, not a lot of people do take the time to care and help us," Sanchez said Thursday.

Sanchez lives in the building with her three children, ages nine, seven and three.

New York City is in the midst of one of the worst homeless crises in recent history, Quinn said Thursday. With more than 60,000 homeless — the majority of whom are women and children — in shelters, facilities like Win's supportive housing can ease the burden of the shelter system and keep people out of shelters in the future. Most of

"Women and children continue to be the forgotten face of New York City’s homelessness crisis," Quinn said. "We are thrilled to welcome these new homes to 118th Street, which will provide a tremendous level of stability and independence for our families.Win is dedicated to providing these families the support they need to meet their long-term needs, and working with them to break the cycle of homelessness permanently."

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