Wartburg Wins Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative Award

Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced conditional awards totaling $35 million to agencies in every region across New York State to provide support services and operating funding for at least 1,400 units of supportive housing for persons with special needs. This is the sixth funding round of the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) which brings together eight state agencies to help provide funding for supportive housing for vulnerable populations, including seniors. Wartburg was one of the agencies selected to receive a conditional award.

Wartburg President Dr. David Gentner said, “It was a pleasure working with Rockabill’s Laura Michener who did the heavy lifting on this application, and I am looking forward to finding a way to enabling the development of more affordable housing for seniors on our campus. We have our work cut out for ourselves as it is expected that we secure capital funding for the project within two years from the date of the award. I am optimistic; we will need to be creative.”

Rockabill was the financial consultant for Wartburg’s Friedrichs Residence – which closed in December of 2011 and was completed in February of 2013. Friedrichs was a supportive senior housing new construction project for Wartburg. Comprised of 56,000 square feet, the site includes 61 affordable housing units for seniors of all faiths earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income. Additionally, the project created amenities for the seniors including multi-purpose community rooms, a library, dining, laundry and fitness facilities, as well as on-site parking and was rated LEED Gold. The development was rewarded a state HEAL NY grant, for which a portion of the funds were allocated for the construction of the building.

“The continued spread of housing insecurity has been one of the pandemic’s most damaging impacts and it is incumbent on all of us to ensure we provide the resources vulnerable New Yorkers need to not only get through these difficult times, but also build a fulfilling life,” Governor Hochul said. “Supportive housing projects target the root causes of homelessness by coupling affordable housing with critical supportive services and through investments like this, we can continue with these projects in every corner of the state to ensure no New Yorker is left behind.”

https://www.wartburg.org/ – Wartburg