August 2026 Newsletter
St. Nicks Alliance Leads Affordable Housing Boom
Renderings of two of the three affordable housing projects St. Nicks Alliance is bringing to Williamsburg Brooklyn within the next couple of years. Bartlett Crossing (left) and Grand Jennings (right).
Recently, St. Nicks Alliance has been breaking ground on two affordable housing projects (Bartlett Crossing and Grand Jennings). In addition, we closed and will begin renovations on the Greene Ave SNA HDFC Project. These three projects combined will bring or maintain 309 affordable units to low-income seniors, families, and the formerly homeless in North Brooklyn within the next two years.
St. Nicks Alliance will also be able to create space for our expanding operations, specifically our social services, which will become more accessible to residents and neighbors in need.
Grand Jennings — expected to be completed by December 2028
This project is especially groundbreaking for St. Nicks Alliance as it the largest development we’ve taken on our own without owner investors. We will serve as developer, owner, and property manager.
“The North Brooklyn community desperately needs more housing for elderly residents. All five of the senior buildings under St. Nicks Alliance’s management have long waiting lists. We receive weekly housing requests from local seniors who must then join waiting lists which can take years before their log number is reached,” said Frank Lang, director of affordable housing policy and advocacy for St. Nicks Alliance.
Like the existing Jennings Hall units, all 187 new apartments are dedicated to very low-income elderly with household incomes at or below 60% AMI. They will receive a rental subsidy, ensuring that no household is rent burdened. 56 apartments of these new apartments are reserved for formerly homeless elderly households with special needs.
Grand Jennings Rendering, Grand Street view
Bartlett Crossing — expected to be completed by spring 2028
In July, as part of United Neighborhood Partners (UNP), St. Nicks Alliance broke ground on Bartlett Crossing. UNP is a united partnership we formed with Southside United HDFC – Los Sures, RiseBoro, United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. St. Nicks Alliance serves as the lead member of the development team coordinating this project.
“For four nonprofits to come together to develop five properties is an extraordinary thing. We were all willing to work together and put community need ahead of organizational benefit. We came together with vision and equity to ensure publicly owned land would yield affordable housing, and ensure the properties are permanently affordable in partnership with New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and local elected officials,” said Michael Rochford, executive director for St. Nicks Alliance.
Located in the Broadway Triangle area of Williamsburg Brooklyn, Bartlett Crossing will bring 78 units of affordable housing to the community. Bartlett Crossing consists of two buildings located at 667 Flushing Avenue and 31 Bartlett Street. The development will offer a mix of studio, one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income and approximately 10 percent of the homes will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals and families.
Greene Ave SNA HDFC Project— expected to be completed by end of 2027
On June 30, St. Nicks Alliance celebrated the closing of the Greene Avenue SNA HDFC Project, which contains properties at: 984 and 988 Greene Avenue, 19 Kingsland Avenue, and 315 Harman Street. These four buildings contain 44 units of affordable housing.
They had hoped to celebrate this in November 2024, but delays ensued when the four building portfolio was classified as a substantial rehab due to years of severe deferred maintenance. This extended neglect called into question the state of the buildings’ habitability plus the conversion of all buildings from natural gas to electric heating and cooking hindered the process. Prior to the closing on June 30, St. Nicks Alliance had to navigate squatters, mounting building violations, emergency boiler replacements, and urgent roof repairs.
(984 Greene Avenue before and after rendering by Meltzer/Mandl Architects)
61 Job Placements for Bushwick 1000
Year 1 Goal: 73% accomplished!
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (left) presented a check for the funding of Bushwick 1000. Also pictured (l to r): Beatrice Brown (St. Nicks Alliance), Larry Rothchild (St. Nicks Alliance), Charmaine Bourbon (OBT), Maria Viera (RiseBoro), Sarah Lorya (St. Nicks Alliance), Evelyn Ortiz (OBT), Greg Rideout (OBT), Andy Collado (RiseBoro). Photo credit: Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso launched the Bushwick 1000 initiative on April 7, at St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center.
The Bushwick 1000 initiative is a partnership with three nonprofit organizations who have a proven record of workforce development and employment connection in Bushwick: St. Nicks Alliance, RiseBoro, and Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT). This initiative arose from a round-table conversation with Bushwick community leaders in 2024.
Reynoso has allocated $150K in discretionary funding to be distributed across the three organizations per year over four years. The goal for the three organizations is to secure employment for 1000 unemployed young adults residents from Bushwick over a period of four years. To achieve this goal, each year, each of the three organizations needs to place 83 in jobs.
St. Nicks Alliance hosted a Bushwick resident job fair, which provided the opportunity to meet with eight employers: Con Ed, MTA, New York City Transit Authority, NYC Fire Department, Allied Universal Security, Molina Healthcare, and the YMCA.
The 61 young adults we placed were hired by: Bank of America, Halcyon Construction Corporation, The Hudson Guild, Brooklyn Renal Care, Elite Construction of New York, TDK Construction, Friends & Family Homecare, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, St Nicks Alliance, United Care ABA, American HVAC Corp., Genesis Environmental Consultants, DaVita Inc., Planned Building Services, New York Environmental Systems, Metro Group, and White Glove Community Care.
“We are well on our way to achieving this goal,” said Larry Rothchild, managing director of St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development. “St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center is committed to serving Bushwick residents in partnership with the borough president. As a lead partner organization of the Bushwick 1000, we’ll offer workplace success job readiness training, job club employment matching services, and training in one of our fourteen industry trainings across the building trades, healthcare, tech and financial services,” added Rothchild.