New York Gov. Cuomo Announces Ribbon Cutting for $17 Million Affordable Senior Development and Adult Day Care in Irondequoit

ALBANY, New York, July 19 -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-New York, issued the following news release:

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- Investment Complements "Finger Lakes Forward" - The Region's Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy

- Durand Senior Apartments Supports New York's "Health across All Policies and Age-Friendly State" Initiatives with 70 Affordable Homes for Seniors

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the ribbon cutting on a newly constructed $17 million affordable housing development for seniors in Irondequoit. Durand Senior Apartments replaced two abandoned churches with 70 affordable apartments and an adult day care facility. St. Ann's Adult Day Service at Durand provides medical and social adult day care services to residents in the community.

"Developments like Durand Senior Apartments provide new affordable housing opportunities for older adults across the state so they can live independently in the communities they call home," Governor Cuomo said. "Irondequoit's seniors deserve to live comfortably and affordably, and by transforming blighted buildings into housing with services that enhance quality of life, we are moving the entire Finger Lakes region forward."

"We are dedicated to ensuring all New Yorkers have a safe and affordable place to live," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who spoke at today's ribbon cutting. "New York is investing billions of dollars to construct and rehabilitate affordable and supportive housing developments across the state. This senior housing project provides an inclusive living option for Irondequoit's older residents and advances the region's economic resurgence as part of the Finger Lakes Forward."

The Governor's commitment to strengthening communities and growing the Finger Lakes economy is reflected in Finger Lakes Forward, the region's comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State's investment in Durand Senior Apartments complements the Finger Lakes Forward initiative by creating affordable housing opportunities for vulnerable populations. Since 2011, HCR has financed the creation or preservation of 6,645 affordable multifamily homes in the Finger Lakes Region.

Durand Senior Apartments includes 70 apartments across two buildings and an additional one-story building that houses St. Ann's Adult Day Service at Durand. Two vacant churches, the former St. Salome Church and former Durand United Church of Christ, were demolished to make way for the construction of the new development.

Amenities include Energy Star appliances, an emergency call system, Intercom entry, laundry facilities on each floor, and elevator access. There is a community room and an outdoor courtyard.

There are eleven apartments reserved for frail elderly households. Seven apartments are fully wheelchair accessible and three apartments are designed for hearing or visually impaired persons. Rents for all apartments are affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income.

Durand Senior Apartments is part of Governor Cuomo's Health Across All Policies initiative, which invests in affordable housing paired with health and community services that strengthen neighborhoods and allow seniors to live healthy, independent lives.

State financing for Durand Senior Apartments includes federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that generated $12.5 million in equity and $3.1 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided $63,000. Monroe County provided $350,000 in HOME funds. The developers are Providence Housing Development Corporation and St. Ann's Community.

The Governor's commitment to providing all New Yorkers with access to safe, affordable housing is reflected in the State's unprecedented $20 billion, five-year Housing Plan. The plan makes housing accessible and combats homelessness by building or preserving more than 100,000 affordable homes and 6,000 with supportive services. The plan is a comprehensive approach to statewide housing issues and includes multifamily and single-family housing and community development.

HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Durand Senior Apartments provides 70 affordable homes and establishes a central place for Irondequoit's senior community to access critical health, wellness and social services. Across the state, Governor Cuomo is creating affordable housing paired with health care so that New Yorkers can live independent and successful lives. Our investment in Durand Senior Apartments will benefit the entire community in Irondequoit and keep the Finger Lakes moving forward."

"Healthy aging begins with an affordable home and continues with the type of community supports Irondequoit's senior citizens will receive at the Durand Senior Apartments," said New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "Clearly illustrating the economic and health benefits of the Governor's Health Across All Policies/Age Friendly NY approach to government action, this affordable housing development will attract residents, enable older adults to remain in their community, and establish a centralized location for critical services to the area's older adult community, providing myriad benefits to the entire community."

Greg Olsen, Acting Director of the New York State Office for the Aging said, "I commend Governor Cuomo for his leadership and recognition that access to age-friendly, affordable housing opportunities are paramount to living with autonomy in the community. This latest investment will help older adults remain connected to the vital community resources they need to remain healthy and engaged, and furthers New York's commitment as the first age-friendly state in the nation."

Congressman Joe Morelle said, "Durand Senior Apartments are further proof of Irondequoit living up to its motto, 'a town for a lifetime'. These new apartments offer residents an affordable, accessible, safe place to call home while remaining in the community they know and love. I am grateful to Governor Cuomo and my partners in government for their efforts to address the affordable housing shortage and provide much-needed hope and security to the most vulnerable in our community."

Senator Rich Funke said, "More affordable housing is always needed in our community particularly for our seniors. I welcome the opening of the Durand Senior Apartments in Irondequoit and appreciate the investments made by both the state and federal government that helped make it a reality."

Assembly Member Jamie Romeo said, "I'm excited to welcome Durand Senior Apartments to our community in Irondequoit. In addition to the job opportunities, this project will allow more residents to make Irondequoit 'a town for a lifetime' by providing more quality, affordable housing options for our seniors. I want to commend Supervisor Seeley for his vision and innovative reuse of this property that will benefit the entire Town of Irondequoit."

"Today's ribbon cutting for Durand Senior Apartments showcases another affordable housing option for local seniors," said Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. "I am thankful to Providence Housing Development Corporation and St. Ann's Adult Day Program for investing in our local economy and workforce, while also serving the needs of our seniors and helping them remain in the very community they helped to build."

Irondequoit Town Supervisor David Seeley said, "The Town of Irondequoit is happy to welcome Durand Senior Apartments to our community. Housing developments like this are critical as we work to ensure our residents can age in place in the town they've lived in for decades. For a town with very few undeveloped properties, this can be challenging at times, and I applaud all stakeholders involved for helping this project come to fruition."

Mark Greisberger, Executive Director of Providence Housing Development Corporation, said, "There is a growing senior population looking for safe and affordable housing options. Thanks to many partners and this community, we are thrilled to be able to provide more than 70 seniors with a new home in a great neighborhood at Durand Senior Apartments. It's an added advantage that St. Ann's Adult Day Services is open next door, and there are other great programs for seniors nearby in the Town of Irondequoit."

Michael E. McRae, President and CEO of St. Ann's Community, said, "St. Ann's Adult Day Services offer safe, supervised care and social opportunities for seniors while their caregivers are at work or handling other responsibilities. Having a program at Durand is a huge bonus and will benefit the entire community."

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward

Today's announcement complements "Finger Lakes Forward," the region's comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $6.1 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for this plan - investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture and food production, and advanced manufacturing. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Rochester, Batavia and Canandaigua as a destination to grow and invest in.

The region is accelerating Finger Lakes Forward with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State's $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion - and the region's plan, as submitted, projects up to 8,200 new jobs. More information is available here.

Health Across All Policies and Age-Friendly State Initiative

Health Across All Policies is a collaborative approach that integrates health considerations into policymaking across all sectors to improve community health and wellness, recognizing that a community's greatest health challenges are complex and often linked with other societal issues that extend beyond healthcare and traditional public health activities. To successfully improve the health of all communities, health improvement strategies must target social determinants of health and other complex factors that are often the responsibility of non-health partners such as housing, transportation, education, environment, parks, and economic development.

As directed by the Governor, this initiative is initially focusing efforts on creating age-friendly communities and policies. Incorporating policies that promote healthy aging will help NYS agencies to consider the needs of all populations and environments in which people live as they develop and implement new programs. The long-term goal is to engage all New York State agencies in a collaborative approach to embed health improvement and healthy aging policies as a focus of decision-making within all agencies. Learn more here (https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/prevention_agenda/health_across_all_policies/).