Odyssey House opens second supportive housing program in the Bronx

Posted on April 28, 2014

More than 100 community leaders, government partners, Odyssey House board members, staff and supporters gathered in the Bronx on April 24th for the Tinton Avenue ribbon cutting ceremony. Tinton Avenue is our second supportive housing program to open in this month.

The event featured tenant-led tours of the buildings and speeches by Moira Tashjian of the NYS Office of Mental Health and Cynthia Stuart of the SupportiveHousing Network of New York. In addition, Adrienne F., a tenant, spoke of her experience being homeless and how having a home has improved her life: “When you’re in a shelter, you’re not living – you’re merely existing. Now I have a chance at being more self-sufficient and reaching my goals. I can also think more clearly and take better care of myself.”

Photo caption: The architects, contractors, consultants, funders, and Odyssey House management team responsible for the Tinton Avenue development celebrate the official opening. From left, Nick Lettire, Lettire Construction; Joe Olive, Jr., Olive Branch Consulting; Caren Abate and James Lupoli, NYS Office of Mental Health; Tina Mitchell, Odyssey House project manager; Moira Tashjian and Budd Isaacson, NYS Office of Mental Health; Peter Provet, Ph.D., Odyssey House president and chief executive officer; Durga Vallabhaneni, Odyssey House chief financial and administrative officer; Kevin Hoffman, The Richman Group; Amy Larovere and Thomas Wong, A. Larovere Consulting; Akiko Kyei-Aboagye and David Hirsch, Urban Architectural Initiatives.

First green supportive housing building opens in the Bronx

Posted on April 16, 2014

Odyssey House officially opened its first green supportive housing building on Thursday, April 10th. Located on Soundview Avenue, the building provides permanent housing for 56 single, low income adults living with special needs. We’ll be posting more photos and details after our second building, Tinton Avenue, opens on April 24th. In the meantime, check out this post by our friends at the Supportive Housing Network of New York and watch this clip from News 12 Bronx.

Photo caption: Odyssey House management and board members gather to cut the ribbon. Front row, John Tavolacci, EVP, chief operating officer; Annise Weaver, senior director of admissions & residential support services; Peter Provet, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer; Colleen Beagen, VP, director of human resources; Stephen Gross, Marianne Guschwann, M.D., and George Rosenfeld, Odyssey House Board of Trustees; Durga Vallabhaneni, SVP, chief financial and administrative officer. Back row, Janice Slaughter, director of mental health and housing services; Jeff Savoy, VP, director of clinical support services; Darrin Brown, senior director of correctional & residential youth programs; Whittaker Wright, program director, Soundview Avenue and Tinton Avenue; Isobelle Surface, SVP, director of communications; Justin Mitchell, VP, director of adult residential services.

Two new designs for supportive housing

Posted on April 16, 2014

e-Oculus

Urban Architectural Initiatives has completed two supportive housing projects in the Bronx for single, low-income adults living with special needs, developed by the social service agency Odyssey House. The five-story, 35,000-square-foot project on Soundview Avenue in the South Central section provides housing for 56 residents. Located on an unusually shaped triangular site that used to be occupied by a gas station, the project is now the organization’s first green project, designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The building is clad in a glass-fiber reinforced rain-screen system with a transparent glass façade fronting the corner entry and lounge areas above, and is accented with painted metal panels. Punched windows are designed to take advantage of natural ventilation. The program of community functions in the basement opens up onto a sunken courtyard, which is terraced from its lowest level to the surrounding grade. The 38,000-square-foot, four-story project on Tinton Avenue in the Morrisania section houses 65 residents. The design responds to its corner site with a tower-like projection clad in a transparent curtain wall showcasing double-height tenant lounges and program spaces. The rear yard includes an amphitheater and a performance platform. Tenants in both buildings have access to the organization’s comprehensive social services programs, including substance abuse and mental health treatment, community-based recovery networks, and educational and vocational services, as along with a communal dining room, lounges, and a gym. Both projects were developed with support from the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Green Housing Ribbon Cutting

Posted on April 10, 2014

See the News 12 Bronx coverage of the ribbon cutting ceremony for our Soundview Avenue supportive housing program.

Two new supportive housing programs are now open

Posted on March 3, 2014

Please join us to celebrate the openings of our new supportive housing buildings!

Odyssey House Soundview Avenue provides permanent supportive housing in the Bronx for 56 single, low-income adults living with special needs and is our first green building. Odyssey House Tinton Avenue provides permanent supportive housing in the Bronx for 65 single, low-income adults living with special needs. Tenants in both buildings have access to Odyssey House‘s comprehensive social services programs, including substance use and mental health treatment, community-based recovery networks, medical and dental care, and educational and vocational services.

Each building offers a number of amenities, including community rooms and residential lounges; a communal dining room; 24-hour security; on-site laundry and gym facilities; and a large, landscaped backyard to encourage tenant interaction and activities.

RSVP for the Soundview Avenue ribbon cutting.

RSVP for the Tinton Avenue ribbon cutting.

Learn more about our housing programs and our commitment to responsible neighboorhood development.

Park Avenue ribbon cutting: Wednesday, June 23rd

Posted on June 21, 2010

Odyssey House will officially open Park Avenue on Wednesday, June 23rd at 10 am. Adolfo Carrion, Regional Director, US Department of Housing & Urban Development, will be on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Open for occupancy since March, Park Avenue is a new 50-unit, single occupancy building for men and women with special needs. The building provides a supportive, independent living environment for individuals who have overcome many life challenges, including mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness. The tenants have all completed treatment for mental illness problems and are able, with minimal support, to live in community-based housing.

The building has a number of amenities designed to allow tenants to live independently, including a well-furnished gym, laundry room, multi-purpose meeting room, communal dining room, and lounges on each floor to encourage socialization. The landscaped backyard features an art installation by the Odyssey House Art Project, “Becoming Whole,” which explores life’s journey of discovery from infancy through adulthood.

The project was developed by Odyssey House with capital and operational funding from New York State Office of Mental Health and capital from low-income housing tax credits. The land was acquired from New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development through ULURP. The building was designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives and built by Rende Contracting Corporation.

Photos of the building, including the art installation, are available on Flickr. Read about the construction of the building here.

Supportive housing building opens in East Harlem

Posted on March 23, 2010

Construction on our 50-unit long-term housing development on 123rd Street – named Park Avenue – has finally been completed. The residence, which officially opened for occupancy on March 9th, will provide transitional housing to individuals diagnosed with mental illness. Odyssey House will provide supportive services for the residents, many of whom will be reintegrating into the community after a period of hospitalization.

Check out some of the photos of the building, which was designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives. We’ll post more when the art installations and landscaping have been completed. Photos of the construction in progress can be seen here and here.

Park Avenue

Lobby

Kitchen (for special events)

Lounge

Typical residential floor

Unit kitchen

East Harlem Supportive Housing Development: Construction Update #2

Posted on July 27, 2009

Construction on our 50-apartment, long-term housing development at 123rd Street in East Harlem continues. The first complete floor is scheduled to be handed over to us with a temporary certificate of occupancy in mid-October. The entire building will be operational and fully occupied by the end of the year. Check out the pictures below to see the progress.

The bricks are being installed on the exterior of the building as interior walls are going up. Below is a close up of the front façade brick and cast stone details.

Scaffolding has been erected at the rear façade the entire height of the building to facilitate masonry and cast stone detail. After that is complete, the windows will be installed.

Here’s a video of the scaffolding being erected.

Framing and plumbing work being completed on the first floor and the cellar.

The interior of an apartment. All of the electical work is done and phone/data/cable connections have been installed by Time Warner Cable and Verizon. The walls have been closed up and priming/painting to begin shortly.

The bathtubs are in place and tiling has started.

For more information about the building, as well as photos from the July 2007 groundbreaking ceremony, please click here.

East Harlem Supportive Housing Development: Construction Update #1

Posted on February 3, 2009

Construction is progressing rapidly on the 50-apartment, long-term housing development at 123rd Street in East Harlem. The building will provide a supportive, independent living environment for individuals who have overcome mental health problems and drug, alcohol and/or significant medical conditions.

The main structure was completed in early 2009 and is scheduled to open in September. An architectural rendering of the building is available in our Fall 2007 Newsletter.

February 2009

Odyssey House broke ground on on the project in July 2007. Below are photos showing the progression of the construction from the groundbreaking through winter 2008.