New York City Mayor Eric Adams, alongside the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Institute for Community Living, has announced a $77 million redevelopment of the Emerson-Davis Family Residence in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. This project will transform the outdated facility into a modern 11-story, 103-unit development, featuring 61 supportive apartments for parents with serious mental illness or substance use disorders to stay connected with or reunify with their children, and 41 affordable units for low-income households. With nearly $20 million in city subsidies, the project aligns with the Adams administration’s record-breaking investments in supportive housing, aiming to create 500,000 new homes by 2032.
Most Pro-Housing Administration in City History: Mayor Adams, HPD, Institute for Community Living Advance 103 Units of Affordable and Supportive Housing in Brooklyn to Help Parents Experiencing Mental Health Challenges Reunite With Their Children
$77 Million Redevelopment of Emerson-Davis Family Residence Will Create 61 Supportive Apartments and 41 Affordable Units. Follows Historic Investments in Supportive Housing Creation Over Last Three Years. Closing Comes Ahead of Adams Administration Fiscal Year 2025 Production Announcement.
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, and the Institute for Community Living (ICL) today announced that construction will begin on a redevelopment of the Emerson-Davis Family Residence, a one-of-a-kind supportive housing model that helps parents living with serious mental illness (SMI) or substance use disorder (SUD) stay connected with or reunify with their children. The new 11-story, 103-unit development at 161 Emerson Place in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn — a high-opportunity neighborhood — will replace the outdated structure that ICL has operated for nearly 30 years. The redeveloped residence will include 61 supportive housing apartments and 41 affordable units for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income, with one unit reserved for a live-in superintendent. The redevelopment is expected to cost $77 million, with the Adams administration contributing nearly $20 million in city subsidies. The building will also meet Passive House standards for energy efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and reducing costs for residents and ICL.
The project — which is made possible with support from HPD, the New York state Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the New York state Office of Mental Health, Richman Group, TD Bank, New York City Councilmember Crystal Hudson, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso — builds on the Adams administration’s record as the most pro-housing administration in city history, including building the most supportive housing. In addition to creating record amounts of affordable and supportive housing over the last two years in a row, Mayor Adams announced earlier this year — as part of his “Best Budget Ever” passed unanimously by the New York City Council — that New York City will revitalize the city’s 15/15 Supportive Housing Initiative to create and preserve 5,850 additional units of supportive housing. New housing, like this development, will help New York City reach Mayor Adams’ moonshot goal of creating 500,000 new homes by 2032.
“We are proud to be the most pro-housing administration in city history, and that includes supportive housing that helps New Yorkers rebuild their lives. The Emerson-Davis Family Residence does exactly that, which is why we are excited to help expand this critical program, invest in our city’s families, and get even more people the mental health and substance use services and support they deserve,” said Mayor Adams. “Whether it’s working with partners like ICL, creating historic amounts of supportive housing, or helping a record number of families move out of our shelter system and into affordable housing, our administration is focused on making our city more affordable and uplifting every New Yorker, every single day, no matter their background.”
“Through this administration’s record investments in housing, we are committed to supporting families in need of mental health services and stability,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion, Jr. “The redevelopment of the Emerson-Davis Family Residence is a unique model, bringing tailored support to families to help them remain whole. I congratulate the Institute for Community Living on a fantastic project and exciting milestone to deliver for New Yorkers.”
“Every family deserves the chance to stay together. For parents navigating mental health or substance use challenges, that path can often feel impossibly out of reach without the right support. The Emerson-Davis Family Residence is a one-of-a-kind model that provides that support — offering healing and stability for parents and making it possible for families to reunite and move forward,” said HPD Acting Commissioner Tigani. “We’re proud to partner with ICL to bring this vision to life, providing 61 families with a foundation to rebuild their lives and 41 additional households with deeply affordable housing that offers dignity, security, and hope for the future. This is how we build a stronger, more resilient New York.”
“ICL’s Emerson-Davis model has demonstrated what’s possible when you combine supportive housing with family reunification services tailored to the unique needs of parents with behavioral health challenges,” said Jody Rudin, president and CEO, ICL. “Housing is health care — and for families at risk of separation, housing is also the key to staying together. This reimagined building in a high opportunity neighborhood enables us to serve even more families, keeping them together and setting them on a path toward long-term recovery, stability, and connection.”
The new Emerson-Davis Family Residence will deliver 103 affordable and supportive homes to
help parents reconnect with their children. Credit: ICL
The expanded Emerson-Davis residence will build on both the Adams administration and ICL’s track record of creating supportive housing and helping more New Yorkers get the services and support they need. The expanded Emerson-Davis residence will feature 44 two-bedroom and seven one-bedroom supportive apartments for parents with SMI and their children, as well as 10 studio units for single adults with SMI who may be pregnant, have infants, or are awaiting reunification. On-site services will include parenting support, trauma-informed therapy, community integration, and access to ICL’s Child and Family Treatment and Support Services. Thoughtfully designed shared spaces — such as a children’s activity room, a community room with teaching kitchen, a fitness center, and a tenant work lounge — will create a family-friendly environment that supports healing and independence. Of the additional 41 affordable housing units, eight units will be supported by federally-funded Project-Based Vouchers, a key source of financing for the project. An additional unit will be reserved for a live-in superintendent.
The project team also includes Dattner Architects, a leader in urban passive house design, and Mega Contracting Group, a general contractor with over 30 years of experience in multi-family and affordable housing. The Emerson Davis Family Residence redevelopment is also supported by $40 million in bonds and subsidy from New York state Homes and Community Renewal.
ICL’s whole health model integrates housing, health care, and behavioral health to support long-term stability. With more than 4,000 New Yorkers housed each night across its 140 programs, ICL meets people wherever they are — whether unhoused, in shelter, in institutions, or ready for permanent housing — and ensures seamless transitions through every stage of their recovery with a full continuum of care.
ICL originally created the Emerson-Davis program in 1999 in response to a gap in New York City’s housing and child welfare systems when parents experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges had no clear pathway to housing that would allow them to regain or retain custody of their children. Emerson-Davis is still the only program of its kind in New York City.
The expansion comes as ICL continues to lead the conversation on solutions for keeping vulnerable families together. Its 2023 policy paper, “Barriers to Reunification,” found that parents living in single adult shelters who are eligible to reunify with their children have no clear path to the appropriately-sized, supportive housing they need — leaving many separated for far longer than necessary. The paper calls for reforms to the shelter, housing, and voucher systems to better support family reunification, especially for those with behavioral health needs.
Since entering office, Mayor Adams has made historic investments to create more affordable housing and ensure more New Yorkers have a place to call home. The Adams administration is advancing several robust neighborhood plans that, if adopted, would deliver more than 50,000 units over the next 15 years to New York neighborhoods. In addition to the Bronx-Metro North Station Area Plan and the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, both of which have been passed by the New York City Council, the Adams administration is advancing plans in Midtown South in Manhattan, as well as Jamaica and Long Island City in Queens.
Moreover, last December, Mayor Adams celebrated the passage of “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,” the most pro-housing proposal in city history that will build 80,000 new homes over 15 years and invest $5 billion towards critical infrastructure updates and housing. In June 2024, City Hall and the New York City Council agreed to an on-time, balanced, and fiscally-responsible $112.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget that invested $2 billion in capital funds across FY25 and FY26 to HPD and the New York City Housing Authority capital budgets. In total, the Adams administration has committed $24.7 billion in housing capital in the current 10-year plan as the city faces a generational housing crisis. Over the last two years, Mayor Adams celebrated back-to-back record breaking fiscal years, as well as back-to-back calendar years, in both creating and connecting New Yorkers to affordable housing. In the spring of 2024, the city celebrated the largest 100 percent affordable housing project in 40 years with the Willets Point transformation.
Building on the success of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, Mayor Adams unveiled his “City of Yes for Families” strategy earlier this year to build more homes and create more family-friendly neighborhoods across New York City. Under City of Yes for Families, the Adams administration is advancing more housing on city-owned sites, creating new tools to support homeownership, and building more housing alongside schools, playgrounds, grocery stores, accessible transit stations, and libraries.
Further, the Adams administration is using every tool available to address the city’s housing crisis. Mayor Adams announced multiple new tools, including a $4 million state grant, to help New York City homeowners create accessory dwelling units that will not only help older adults afford to remain in the communities they call home but also help build generational wealth for families. In addition to creating more housing opportunities, the Adams administration is actively working to strengthen tenant protections and support homeowners. The “Partners in Preservation” program was expanded citywide in 2024 through a $24 million investment in local organizations to support tenant organizing and combat harassment in rent-regulated housing. The Homeowner Help Desk, a trusted one-stop shop for low-income homeowners to receive financial and legal counseling from local organizations, was also expanded citywide in 2024 with a $13 million funding commitment.
Finally, Mayor Adams and members of his administration successfully advocated for new tools in the 2024 New York state budget that will spur the creation of urgently needed housing. These tools include a new tax incentive for multifamily rental construction, a tax incentive program to encourage office conversions to create more affordable units, lifting the arbitrary “floor-to-area ratio” cap that held back affordable housing production in certain high-demand areas of the city, and the ability to create a pilot program to legalize and make safe basement apartments.
“Supportive housing is an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing New York City’s mental health crisis. The Emerson-Davis Family Residence is an exemplary model of how we can address this crisis with care and compassion, allowing parents living with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders to remain connected with their children,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m proud to have provided support for this project alongside Mayor Adams, NYC HPD Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, Councilmember Crystal Hudson, NYC HPD, NYS HCR, NYS OMH, the Institute for Community Living, Richman Group, and TD Bank.”
“All families deserve to live together in homes they can afford with the support they need. This $77.6 million redevelopment of the Emerson-Davis Family Residence will help more than 100 households stay together and promote long-term family stability,” said New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas. “It is a great example of New York’s comprehensive approach to affordable and supportive housing. We thank the Institute for Community Living and all our partners for their dedication.”
“For any parent, ensuring a safe and coordinated connection or reconnection with their children can have a tremendous impact on their mental health and recovery. The Emerson-Davis Family Residence in the Clinton Hill neighborhood will offer a structured environment where parents in recovery can reunify with their children and receive the services and supports they need,” said New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan. “We are proud to partner with the Institute for Community Living on this unique and valuable redevelopment project.”
July 17, 2025 NEW YORK
Source: nyc.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
