WSFSSH AT WEST 108
WSFSSH at West 108 in New York, NY won a 2022 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award in the Housing for Seniors category.
WSFSSH at West 108, developed by the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH), provides nearly 200 affordable homes for New York’s senior citizens and low-income families on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The property provides 119 safe, stable and affordable homes for formerly homeless New Yorkers, the majority of whom are seniors 55 years of age or older and are frail, experiencing mental illness, and/or recovering from substance use disorders. It also provides 79 homes for low-income families making 30 percent or 60 percent of the Area Median Income, although most residents of these units have much lower incomes and arrive with rental assistance vouchers. The 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) was used to finance the property, with financing facilitated by National Equity Fund, Inc., along with state and local financing provided by NYC HDC, NYC HPD, and NYS HHAP.
Onsite social services are available to all residents, including case management service coordination, crisis intervention, counseling, recreational activities, transportation services, money management classes, and nutrition services. Social services staff offer programming in the building’s activity rooms and community room, such as art classes, and outdoor exercise and recreational activities in the building’s backyard and elevated terrace. The building also hosts an onsite federally qualified health center open to both residents and the community, offering low- or no-cost primary care and specialized services.
The property is also co-located with WSFSSH’s Valley Lodge, a transitional shelter that provides over 100 beds for homeless seniors in need of temporary housing. The co-location of the Valley Lodge shelter with the apartments of WSFSSH at West 108 provides a unique design offering accessible and natural pathways for residents of the shelter to move into permanent housing. Through the New York City 15/15 Supportive Housing Initiative, 60 homes in WSFSSH at West 108 were reserved to support seniors experiencing mental illness and/or substance use disorders, and through the New York State Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI), 40 homes were reserved for seniors with declining health who needed additional mobility support and general assistance. Having these homes reserved for New York’s most vulnerable seniors makes collaboration with Valley Lodge even more critical, providing opportunities for residents to transition into available permanent housing as quickly and smoothly as possible.
This property takes to heart the idea of New York City being the “Greatest City in the World” for all the city’s citizens—not just those with means and opportunity—by providing housing to New Yorkers who need it the most. And for the senior and family residents of WSFSSH at West 108, having a safe, stable, and affordable place to live amongst the high costs of living in New York is invaluable.
Congressional Recognition
Statement from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
“Tackling the issue of affordable housing is critical, particularly when it comes to housing for our most vulnerable communities such as older adults,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “This development by the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing provides a huge lifeline for low-income seniors, particularly those who formerly experienced homelessness, are experiencing mental illness, or are recovering from substance use disorders, and is a step in the right direction in our fight against housing insecurity.”