Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Delivers Remarks at the Bedford Green House Ribbon-Cutting

July 14, 2022

Eric Rosenbaum, President and CEO, Project Renewal: We can start the program formally. Thank you. Everyone please take your seats. Our ceremony is going to get underway right now. Thank you.

Rosenbaum: Welcome everybody. Thank you for coming out on this incredibly beautiful day to celebrate the opening of Bedford Green House. Special thank you to our mayor, Eric Adams, for joining us. For Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. HPD Commissioner, Adolfo Carrión. DSS Commissioner Gary Jenkins. And from the state, OTDA Commissioner Dan Tietz. I hope I'm not missing anyone. Oh, Gustavo Rivera. Yes. Thank you.

Rosenbaum: Okay. So this site was acquired by my predecessor in 2014, nearly eight years ago. What was here before was a house where the building is and of course this huge rock behind me. That rock prevented us or anyone really from building on the site because it was too expensive to blast it out. But there was a change in the zoning laws that allowed taller buildings like this to be built in locations near transit. That and the brilliant idea to build around the rock instead of blasting it made it possible for us to create this building.

Rosenbaum: With 117 brand new apartments every one of which is deeply affordable or supportive for people who have been homeless or at risk of homelessness here in the Bronx. Not just the building with apartments, but a children's playground right here, a rooftop greenhouse, which I hope you will all see on the tour. Offices with social services, psychiatry and all of what it takes to make this place a community and not just an apartment building. This fall we will start construction on a lot in the back facing Jerome Avenue and an additional 116 apartments that will also have a children's library and a street level primary care licensed primary care clinic that will offer healthcare, not only to the residents of the building, but also to members of the community, regardless of ability to pay.

Rosenbaum: So this is really the creation of a community and a community center, but this almost didn't happen. Three and a half years ago, the general contractor went bankrupt. The insurance company that was supposed to complete the project reneged on their commitment. Then the pandemic hit, labor was in short supply and then the supply chain crisis caused the cost of materials to go through the roof. So Project Renewal actually had to invest $3.5 million of our own money. As you all know, nonprofits don't have a lot of money in the project in order to bring it to this place.

Rosenbaum: That's why I am so incredibly grateful for the support of HPD, of HDC, of New York State HHAP who have really come together to help us try and close as much of that gap as possible. I also want to thank the development team that built the building. I want to call out our vice president of real estate development, Paul Woody, whose equanimity... Believe me, I was not always as calm as he was… Led the team to make this happen. Also, Katie Bauer, our chief housing and shelter officer who designed the program and services that we have here. Jasmine Cummings who led the implementation and Jasmine is unfortunately home sick today so she can't be with us in person.

Rosenbaum: Other parts of the development team, ESKW and Andrew Knox Architects, project management support from Jonathan Rose Company, and the fourth general contractor and the one that finally built the place, Bruno Frustaci. So it's wonderful to celebrate the building and the physical space, but this is really about the people who are going to live here. I want you to hear from one of our residents, Alexis Reed. Come on out.

Alexis Reed, Resident Validator: Oops, sorry. Give me a second. Good morning, everyone. My name is Alexis Reed and I'm here to tell you my story. So my son Cairo and I moved into Bedford Green House five months ago, but I've known about Bedford Green House much longer than that. You see for a whole year before we moved in, Cairo and I resided in a homeless shelter just two blocks from here, literally. I walked by this building every day as construction was winding down and I would think to myself it would be nice to live here, but I didn't actually think it would happen.

Reed: Then one day my case manager presented me with an opportunity to move here. I wasn't sure about the idea of living in supportive housing. I didn't know anything about it. So it made me a little bit hesitant, but I knew I needed a permanent home to make a better life for Cairo myself. So I went for it. Here I am five months later and I can tell you it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've never felt so supported and happy as I do at Bedford Green House.

Reed: I'm making great strides and I'm working through my traumas I experienced in my past. I'm able to do this because I have the stability of a home and I have all the services that I need right here. Through Project Renewal's occupational therapy program I participate in groups like art, music, mindfulness, and my favorite: the gardening on the rooftop. Growing fresh vegetables and herbs and cooking with them in my own kitchen, and they're amazing, is inspiring me to lead a healthier lifestyle. Through all the programs here and the support of the staff, my neighbors and I are building a strong caring community.

Reed: My son Cairo is thriving as well. He has his own bedroom. He comes to all the group activities with me and he loves playing on the playground right here in the courtyard. I spend a great deal of time there. I want to thank Project Renewal's staff. I honestly never met such a committed group of people. From the case managers, to the therapists, to the maintenance workers they're more than just the staff at this building. They're an extension of my own family.

Reed: I also want to express my gratitude to everyone here today who helped make Bedford Green House a reality. It gives people like myself an access to amenities and experiences that I might not had to do so before. You helped create something truly special that has honestly changed my life. Now I'd like to introduce someone who I was honored to meet this morning. He is a great leader for our city and I'm so happy he is here today to support me and my neighbors. Please welcome Mr. Mayor, excuse me, Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Alexis is the symbol of inspiration as we start the process of reclaiming lives and renewing hope. There's so many communities in our city where hope goes to die and I think nothing personifies that more than this beautiful place called the Bronx. With the leadership of the previous borough president and now a visionary our current borough president, President Gibson. There's a clear expectation of what we expect. What you stated is so significant. That one rock got in the way of building new foundations in our community. We often look at the barriers and say how can we get it done instead of looking at the barriers and say we will get it done. This is going to be a city of yes, because, because we overcame that obstacle, you are now having your place and you are going on to become a nurse to deal with our nursing shortage that we have in the city.

Reed: Yes, I am.

Mayor Adams: It feeds on itself.

Reed: It does.

Mayor Adams: It feeds on itself. If we would've allowed that rock to stand in the way, we wouldn't have your baby enjoy this beautiful building. You wouldn't go into nursing school. We wouldn't deal with our nursing crises that we're having. So what you're doing, the seeds you're planting is producing not only harvest on the rooftop, but it's producing a harvest in our entire city.

Mayor Adams: My team is on board. We have the HSS commissioner that's here. HPD commissioner that's here. My team wants to be a part of what you are doing. This is what we state when we can produce a good qualitative product here. I've been in the Bronx almost the last couple of weeks with the Bronx borough president. You have been ignored. You have been denied. You have been abandoned. That stopped January 1, 2022 when I became the mayor of the City of New York.

Mayor Adams: We're going to partner with these great organizations. We're going to allow you to go out and share your stories because there's so many people who are in our temporary housing or living in shelters who believe where they are, is who they are. And it's not. We know it's not. And then you said something else that's significant. You said, "I never even thought about living in housing of this magnitude that deals with supportive housing." You need to give your message to those who are yelling, that we need more housing, but say, don't build it on my block. Can't have it both ways.

Reed: This is true.

Mayor Adams: If we need more housing, then we need more housing of wraparound services on Park Avenue also. We need it in all of these communities that are saying people should not live on the street. Then know what? Then they need to live on your street. Allow us to build the housing that we need. And you are a symbol of why people are going to be willing to listen. I'm so proud of you.

Reed: Thank you, Mayor.

Mayor Adams: And I wish you so much for good fortune. Good luck to you and your son. Thank you, Project Renewal for what you have done.

Rosenbaum: I said before that we were going to build around the rock, but I lied a little bit. We had to chip away at it. And so I'd like to give you a piece of the Bronx.

Mayor Adams: Love it. Very good job. Vanessa, I'm taking Bronx with me everywhere.

[...]

Rosenbaum: And now HPD Commissioner Carrión.

Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Department of Housing Preservation and Development: Thank you, Eric. Good morning, everybody. I am so thrilled, so delighted. I'm going to be super brief, which I'm sure the people standing in the sun will appreciate. We're in the shade. You know, I go back a long, long, long time. Back when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth, in the early days of Project Renewal, I was at the time a district manager of Community Board 5 and I worked very, very closely to ensure that we were making investments with this amazing organization that reclaims lives. What is it again?

[...]

Commissioner Carrión: Renews hope. Right, yeah. Reclaims lives and renews hope, and the slogan is a very powerful slogan.

Commissioner Carrión: The mayor said a couple of very important things. I refer to my successor as borough president as Number 14. I'm Number 12, and she said some very important things. You're going to hear Gary Jenkins and Dan talk about the investments we make, the partnerships, the important partnerships. All of this stuff, the complexity of the agencies, work, the banks, the contractors, the architects, the engineers, the nonprofit, all of the process ultimately pours into a vessel. It pours into a vessel like Alexis and Cairo, and that's really what this work is all about.

Commissioner Carrión: And the manifestation of this building is very powerful. You guys have tied together so many important elements of approaching our work in a holistic way. The nice unit, everybody needs a good home that's safe and environmentally comfortable and responsible for the occupants. But to add other elements, the supports that people need in their lives to deal with all the issues, all our mental health issues that we all deal with. The element of a rooftop garden, love the fish tanks, and getting that fertilizer into the plants and all that good stuff, and the garden up there, and being able to then have Alexis and Cairo put it on their table, the vegetables that come from that garden. You tie it all together, that's the holistic approach of this administration, and I'm proud to be a small partner in a very, very big partnership. Congratulations, Eric and the team here. This is wonderful, and let's do it again.

[...]

Rosenbaum: And now, DSS commissioner, Gary Jenkins.

Commissioner Gary Jenkins, Department of Social Services: Good morning, everyone. Any day we are announcing the completion of affordable and supportive housing is a freaking great day, so today's a great day. We're so pleased to be here to announce the first phase, and the borough president said it, it's the first phase, not the last phase, of completion of the Bedford Green House. This incredible project will bring 117 supportive units right here. Alexis, I am so proud of you. You are an example of what can be. Stay focused and be there for your daughter as you are, and just take advantage of all of the services that's available to you.

Commissioner Jenkins: I am here to support you. Whatever you need from the Department of Social Services, call on us, we're here to support you. And the borough president said it and the mayor said it. For far too long, the Bronx has been underserved. That stuff stops today. Not in this administration. We're going to be here for the Bronx, we're going to be here for its residents, we're going to make sure that the city is standing up and leading in that effort. So I'm not going to take a long time speaking. I had a whole speech here but I'm speaking from the heart, we are so proud of Project Renewal, we are so proud of our relationship and our partnership and we want to continue to build on that, Eric, so thank you.

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