A significant advancement in New York City’s ongoing efforts to combat homelessness took place in Brooklyn, where Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park joined community partners to mark the launch of 182 deeply affordable apartments at 2886 Atlantic Avenue.
This new project, called The Atlantic, is the first Affordable Housing Services (AHS) site in Brooklyn and serves as an important step in the city’s campaign to provide sustainable housing options for people leaving the shelter system.
A Pioneering Program
A collaboration between the Institute for Community Living (ICL) and Camber Property Group, The Atlantic is included in DSS’s Novel Affordable Housing Services Program. This initiative relies on CityFHEPS vouchers to help nonprofit partners acquire entire buildings to offer long-term affordable housing.
The AHS program has now surpassed 1,000 housing units either open or in development, with 835 already in use and over 200 more underway. Of these, about 150 units are anticipated to open in the coming year.
“With New York City facing historically low housing availability, we cannot depend on traditional approaches,” said Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “We are using our resources in creative new ways through the Affordable Housing Service initiative to deliver the affordable homes our city needs.”
Addressing a Pressing Challenge
More than 13,000 households in the city’s shelter system currently possess CityFHEPS vouchers but continue to have difficulty locating rentals in New York’s tight market. AHS presents a scalable solution, creating developments dedicated to deeply affordable homes with long-term affordability contracts—30 or 9 years—that offer ongoing stability to residents.
ICL will operate The Atlantic, drawing on forty years of experience providing both housing and behavioral health services to people in need. “These apartments are more than just residences; they provide the cornerstone for wellness, stability, and opportunity,” said Jody Rudin, President and CEO of ICL. “At ICL, we see housing as the key to better health.”
Growing the Affordable Housing Supply
The Adams administration remains committed to expanding housing options through innovative investments and updates to zoning rules. The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan, passed last year, aims to develop 80,000 new housing units over the next 15 years with $24.5 billion dedicated to capital funding.
DSS is also collaborating with other nonprofit partners such as Riseboro, the Fortune Society, VIP Community Services, and more to replicate the AHS model across New York City.
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