A new building at 4427 White Plains Rd. in the Wakefield neighborhood officially opened on Sept. 19, providing 59 brand-new apartments to New Yorkers exiting city shelters.
The opening represents the mayor’s effort to place formerly homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing. The administration said that in the 2024 fiscal year, it helped a record number of households—over 18,500—move out from shelters into voucher-subsidized permanent homes, a 24% increase over the previous year, according to the Department of Social Services (DSS).
But more work remains and the opening of the 59 new apartments aims to meet the growing need. Currently, more than 9,000 CityFHEPS voucher-holders remain in shelters because they cannot find places to move into.
For the White Plains Road building, Bronx-based VIP Community Services partnered with the city under the Affordable Housing Services initiative, which enables nonprofits to buy or take long-term leases on housing sites. Under the program, 243 units have opened in the past six months, with more on the way.
“I haven’t seen anything like this,” said Debbian Fletcher-Blake, president and CEO.
Amir Krigger, 21, is among those who now has a home at 4427 White Plains Rd. after spending much of his life in shelters, including in his hometown of Atlanta, he told the Bronx Times.
Krigger moved to New York City just a year ago, landing at the airport with suitcases and a couple thousand dollars saved. He came for modeling work but had no place to stay.
He quickly found a room to rent for a reasonable cost in Washington Heights — but with no lease or other protections, he found himself abruptly kicked out just two months later. “New York happened,” as Krigger put it.
He stayed at a shelter in Harlem, which is how he met staff at VIP Community Services. He said qualifying for his Bronx apartment wasn’t actually too hard — he had to have a steady job and “prove [he’s] able to handle [his] own spot,” which Krigger said is easy for him nowadays.
A reasonable proportion of his income from modeling work and his serving job at a nearby IHOP goes towards rent, while the city covers the rest. When thinking of his new home, Krigger said the word “solace” comes to mind. The apartment is “actually pretty spacious for a New York studio” with furniture, new appliances and friendly staff in the building, he said.
“Cortisol levels all the way down,” said Krigger.
But even more than a place to live, he said he now has a strong support network — something he lacked even in Atlanta.
“You can feel the difference when someone wants to help,” Krigger said.
More stories like his are likely to come, as DSS and nonprofit partners are opening a total of six buildings in the Bronx under the Affordable Housing Services plan, to include apartments of various sizes. In addition to VIP, other nonprofits managing the sites are MBD Housing Corporation, Community Housing Innovations and Acacia.
DSS is not typically associated with the financing or creation of housing — but given the dire housing shortage, the agency had to get creative, said Commissioner Molly Wasow Park at the event.
“In a city with a 1.4% vacancy rate, we can’t wait for opportunities to come to us,” Wasow Park told the Bronx Times.
“We’re really excited about this model,” Park said. “I think it’s really something we can build on.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
