Senior Affordable Housing Complex Holds Ribbon Cutting Near Mill Brook Houses 

On September 13, the Bronx’s Mott Haven community celebrated the official opening of a 158-unit affordable housing complex for low-income senior residents. 

Mill Brook Terrace sits on the site of a former NYCHA parking lot near Mill Brook Houses, where seniors now have access to an 8,700-square-foot senior center, supportive services, green spaces, and other building amenities. The complex features 107 one-bedroom and three studio apartments for low-income seniors, as well as 48 studios for formerly homeless seniors.  

Fully leased in late 2020, the development was constructed through a partnership between NYCHA, the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH), the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC).  

“Mill Brook Terrace and the Mill Brook Senior Center reflect the Authority’s approach to utilizing our resources to build new affordable housing and to provide current NYCHA residents with enhanced community spaces,” NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia said. “We are excited to celebrate with the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, and are thankful for their partnership with the Mill Brook Houses Tenant Association to ensure that this project was fully integrated into the surrounding campus. The result is a much-needed source of affordable housing for low-income seniors that will help enrich this neighborhood for generations to come.” 

By integrating with the Mill Brook Houses development, Mill Brook Terrace offers a range of resources for local residents, including a 1,000-square-foot community room for resident association meetings and community gatherings, comprehensive social services, and free onsite WiFi service. As part of the project, over $2 million in funding was provided for NYCHA to support improvements at Mill Brook Houses. 

The project, which was financed through HPD and HDC programs, was the direct result of a community planning effort that identified the need for additional senior housing and services in the Mott Haven neighborhood. 

“Time and again, we’ve heard from New Yorkers that our city needs more affordable senior housing, that we as a city need to better support our growing senior population. This collaboration shows how we can get that done, and done beautifully,” said Paul Freitag, Executive Director of WSFSSH, one of the largest senior housing providers in the Bronx. 

The onsite senior center is open to the surrounding community, with a commercial kitchen, dining room, and communal space for residents to hold activities and gatherings. The affordable housing property additionally offers an array of environmentally friendly features, including landscaping, a gardening program in the courtyard, and more than 300 solar panels on the rooftop.