CAMBA Gardens Phase I and II, a ground-breaking supportive and affordable housing initiative that combines sustainable development, affordable housing, health care, education and job/career preparation, has received the prestigious Urban Land Institute New York 2018 award for Excellence in Affordable Housing Development.
The award recognizes both CAMBA Housing Ventures’ innovative work in the field of supportive and affordable housing as well as the timeliness of such initiatives in an urban landscape where the cost of housing is increasingly rising.
“We are honored to receive this award from Urban Land Institute New York. It recognizes CAMBA/CAMBA Housing Ventures’ mission to provide vulnerable New Yorkers with stable, safe housing and life-changing supportive services,” said CAMBA/CAMBA Housing Ventures President and CEO, Joanne M. Oplustil. “This recognition of our innovative work in housing development proves that affordable housing for low-income New Yorkers is critical to the well-being of our City.”
Urban Land Institute New York announced CAMBA’s award on Tuesday night, along with numerous other urban development awards. More info on those awards can be found here.
CAMBA Gardens Phase I and II (CAMBA Gardens) which opened in 2013 and 2016 respectively on the campus of NYC Health + Hospitals’ Kings County Hospital, together provide 502 units of sustainable, supportive housing representing over $166 million in public/private investment. CAMBA Gardens is an innovative, replicable national model for public-private partnership between a public hospital, nonprofit community-based affordable housing developer and a social service provider. Affordable and supportive housing and healthcare are co-located to facilitate tenant and community health and economic stability.
Both Phases of CAMBA Gardens, located in Wingate, Brooklyn, respond to the homelessness and affordable housing crisis in New York by transforming underutilized hospital property into a revitalized urban community that together provide 502 units of sustainable, supportive and affordable housing and on-site supportive services for formerly homeless and low-income households. In addition to on-site case management and CAMBA’s full service offerings, services also include job search and interview preparation, resume writing, nutrition counseling, money management and financial planning, and computer training.
Each phase of CAMBA Gardens demonstrates a commitment to environmental sustainability, stewardship, and resiliency, and is built to LEED, Enterprise Green Communities, and NYSERDA standards. Phase I, with 209 units, achieved LEED Platinum status and features a rooftop solar panel system that powers 45% of the building’s common areas. Phase II, with 293 units, is a LEED Gold development. In less than one year of moving in, more than half of the residents reported improvements in both their mental and physical health.
In addition, CAMBA Gardens I and II spurred economic development, employing more than 218 Brooklyn residents during on-site construction, awarded $48 million to Brooklyn Based contractors, and creating 80 new permanent jobs. The buildings feature work by local artists, keeping to CAMBA’s goal of economically supporting the community. Both phases utilized a complex and innovative mix of funding sources, including tax-exempt bond/low-income housing tax credit financing.
Find out more about CAMBA Housing Ventures work in affordable and supportive housing online at https://cambahousingventures.org/. Visit CAMBA.org to learn more about CAMBA’s 40 year history in social services.
About CAMBA, Inc./CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc.
Founded in 1977, CAMBA, Inc. is one of Brooklyn’s largest community-based social service organizations. Our mission is to provide services that connect people with opportunities that enhance their quality of life and develop their communities. CAMBA annually provides services to more than 45,000 individuals and families in six core areas: Economic Development; Education and Youth Development; Family Support; Health, Housing and Legal Services. CAMBA clients are those who are: moving from welfare to work; individuals and families experiencing, at risk of or transitioning out of homelessness; individuals living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS; immigrants and refugees; children and young adults; entrepreneurs; and others struggling to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.
In 2005, CAMBA created CAMBA Ventures, Inc. (CHV), an affiliated development corporation. The mission of CAMBA Housing Ventures is to develop sustainable and energy-efficient buildings that provide safe and affordable housing for low-income and formerly homeless individuals and families. CHV’s portfolio of completed or in progress developments are located throughout New York City, including work-out acquisition, new construction, rehabilitation and preservation projects totaling over 2,000 units and 2 million square feet of development representing $628 million in public/private investment.