MBD Community Housing Corp. receives award
MBD Community Housing Corp., a
leading community organization devoted
to increasing affordable housing opportunities
and improving the quality of life in
the Bronx, has received the prestigious
New York Housing Conference 2018 Non-
Profi t of the Year Award.
Founded in 1974 as a coalition of volunteers
determined to save their community
from the devastating impact of arson,
disinvestment, abandonment, and population
loss in the Crotona Park East section
of Bronx Community District 3, MBD
has been a catalyst in the revitalization of
the community through the development
of new and renovated affordable housing
and the restoration of vital public services.
“For more than four decades, MBD
has successfully sponsored, constructed
and renovated over 3,500 units of affordable
housing in The Bronx,” said Derrick
Lovett, MDB president and CEO.
In addition, “MBD played a key role in
commercial investment and development
in sponsoring construction of the New Horizons
Retail Center, which created hundreds
of jobs and attracted major retailers,
including national franchise chains which
strengthened the economic and social
fabric of our community,” said Lovett.
Under Lovett’s leadership, MBD has
successfully restructured its portfolio and
broadened its pipeline of new construction
and preservation affordable housing
projects partnering with leading developers.
These include:
MBD, in partnership with Signature Urban
Properties and Monandnock Development
and Construction Inc., are developing
what will prove to be the largest-ever
private real estate project in The Bronx.
This multi phased project will include 10
residential buildings comprised of 1,300
affordable housing units.
MBD is part of the team awarded the
P.S. 31 project, a joint venture with Trinity
Financial. The development team was selected
through a competitive Request for
Proposals (RFP) process to build a 100%
affordable building. This project will be the
largest residential Passive House built in
New York City to date, and consume 30%
of the energy a conventional housing project
typically consumes. The three-story
base will house educational and medical
facilities, aa well as cultural and community
spaces. This 27-story building will
consist of approximately 240 affordable
housing units.
MBD, in partnership with L&M Development
Partners and Camber Property
Group, were awarded the 722-unit rehab
conversion of NYCHA’s Baychester and
Murphy Houses.
The New York Housing Conference is
a nonprofi t affordable housing policy and
advocacy organization that supports decent
affordable housing for all New Yorkers
by seeking to advance City, State and
Federal policies and funding to support
the development and preservation of affordable
housing.
MBD also provides services such as
building maintenance, tenant account
management and fi nancial management
as it seeks to improve the quality of life in
its Bronx community through affordable
housing development, economic development
and the provision of human services.
* * *
The William T. Grant Foundation announced
that it has launched a redesign
of its Youth Service Improvement Grants
Program, targeting eight community districts
in the Bronx and two in Brooklyn.
In addition, the foundation now seeks to
drive awards to organizations that have
existing programming tailored specifi cally
to Mexican-descent or LGBTQ youth or
are led by people of color or LGBTQ individuals.
The redesign introduces to the
program priority considerations that bring
the Youth Services Improvement Grants
into closer alignment with the Foundation’s
broader focus on reducing inequality
in youth outcomes.
The Bronx community districts which
have been prioritized are: CD 1, Mott Haven;
CD 2, Hunts Point; CD 3, Morrisania;
CD 4, Concourse/Highbridge; CD 5, University
Heights; CD 6 , East Tremont ; CD
7, Bedford Park; and CD 9 , Union Port/
Soundview. The two Brooklyn community
districts are Brownsville/Ocean Hill and
East New York.
Just as in previous incarnations of the
program, it is open to all nonprofi t organizations
that provide direct services to
youth ages 5-25 in the fi ve boroughs and
have a budget between $1 million and $5
million. Organizations that meet any of the
three stated priority considerations for reducing
inequality will receive priority for
funding, but any organization that fi ts the
eligibility criteria may apply. Awards are
$25,000 each and support projects lasting
one year. In addition to providing grant
support, the Foundation will secure technical
assistance to assist grantees in successfully
implementing their improvement
plans. Later in the year, the Foundation
will introduce a new program that will build
capacity at smaller nonprofi ts with budgets
of under $1 million dollars.
The foundation introduced the Youth
Service Improvement Grants program
over a decade ago as a way to help local
organizations strengthen existing programs
by addressing issues or problems
at the point of service, where staff and
youth interact. Since 2007, the foundation
has awarded 145 Youth Service Improvement
Grants, representing over $3.5-million
in support to nonprofi t organizations
that serve young people in communities
across New York City. As part of the ongoing
evolution of this work, which is one
of a variety of good-neighbor grantmaking
strategies the Foundation has pursued
since the 1970s, a stock-taking of the program
was initiated by foundation leadership
in 2018. This effort focused on assessing
the landscape of youth inequality
in New York City in order to gain insight
into how the foundation could do more to
support young New Yorkers. Ultimately,
three major themes emerged:
The geography of inequality is stark,
with poverty rates well over 40 percent in
some neighborhoods and too little of foundation
grant dollars going to those communities.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 32 ANUARY 11-17, 2019 BTR
A purely place-based approach to
grantmaking would neglect under-served
communities that are more geographically
dispersed. Mexicans, now the third
largest immigrant group in the city, have
high rates of poverty but few established
organizations tailored to their needs. LGBTQ
youth are another group that is too
often overlooked and whose well-being
demands greater support.
There is a notable lack of racial, ethnic,
gender identity and sexual-orientation
diversity among executive directors and
CEOs of youth serving organizations.
The redesigned Youth Service Improvement
Grants program capitalizes on
these insights and intends to facilitate service
improvements that enhance youth development
and well-being for those youth
with the greatest needs. The portal is now
open and all grants are due by Thursday,
March 7.
The William T. Grant Foundation supports
research to improve the lives of
young people ages 5 to 25 in the United
States. The Foundation’s focus areas are
reducing inequality in youth outcomes and
improving the use of research evidence in
ways that benefi t young people. Its grantmaking
centers on high-quality empirical
research that has the potential to advance
theory, build evidence, and inform policy
and practice. wtgrantfoundation.org
* * *
Do you need High School Equivalency
certifi cation? TASC (Test Assessing Secondary
Completion) is the offi cial New
York State version of the test (formerly
GED), which you can prepare for at Lehman
College Continuing Education starting
the end of January. The affordably
priced courses, offered in both English
and Spanish, cover all the subjects of the
test---language arts (reading and writing),
math, social studies and science at basic,
intermediate and advanced levels. A
placement test to determine the appropriate
level is required prior to registration.
These will be given on Saturday, January
19, 10 am-1 pm or 2:00-5:00 pm and Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, January
22, 23 and 24, 6:00-9:00 pm at CUNY
on the Concourse (part of Lehman College),
2501 Grand Concourse (corner of
Fordham Road), 3rd fl oor. The fee for the
placement test is $25 payable by money
order or debit card only. All TASC classes
are held at CUNY on the Concourse. For
more information or a catalog of all spring
Continuing Education classes for adults
and children/teens, please call 718-960-
8512 or visit www.lehman.edu/ce.
* * *
Stop by City Island and enjoy the exciting
programs offered at the PSS City Island
Center, which is located at 116 City Island
Avenue, Monday Through Friday From
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Experience The Exercise
Classes From Gentle Yoga Stretch, Balance
Class, Arthritis Workshop and Tai Chi
as well, as the Fit For Life and Cardio Fit.
They also offer acrylic painting, calligraphy,
canasta, health presentations, nutritional
information, and parties. Lunch is served
from noon to 1pm. Suggested donation is
$2. They go on shopping trips every day;
Derrick Lovett, MDB president and CEO
i.e. Shop Rite, Dollar Tree, Target, Kmart, as
well as theatre excursions, boat trips, special
luncheons and more.
Upcoming special events will be held
Wednesay, January 9: Elder Abuse Presentation
at 12:30 p.m.; Thursday, January
10, Singing Group resumes at 1:15 p.m..
It’s free to become a member, but you
must be 60 years or above. For more information
contact Patty at (718) 885-0727 or
email pattis@pssusa.org.
* * *
KeyBank Community Development
Lending and Investment recently
closed $24.5 million in total financing for
the Gilbane Development Company’s acquisition
and renovation of two New York
City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties,
Highbridge Franklin and Twin Parks
West, to preserve 647 units of permanent
affordable housing in the Bronx.
Both properties are part of NYCHA’s
plan to finance, renovate and manage
1,700 apartment units across 17 developments
under its Permanent Affordability
Commitment Together (PACT) program.
PACT is New York City’s implementation of
the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration
(RAD) program.
Residents at Highbridge Franklin
and Twin Parks West will have access to
a range of supportive services through
Bronxhouse, which offers youth services,
housing assistance, workforce development,
healthcare education and provision,
homeless services, immigration services
and assistance in accessing public benefits.
Highbridge Franklin includes the tenant
in-place rehabilitation of 14 buildings
with 336 units and Twin Parks West includes
the tenant-in-place rehabilitation of
311 housing units. Long-term, both properties
will benefit from building envelope and
façade renovations, installation of sustainable
features like LED lighting, new mail
boxes, new security systems, landscaping,
refreshed community spaces and interior
unit renovations that introduce energy star
appliances and new windows.
/wtgrantfoundation.org
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