New York City: Eyesore Becomes a Haven for Needy

On Sept. 23 in New York City, local leaders and elected officials celebrated the transformation of a pre-Civil War mansion on Gates Ave. into a home for HIV-positive and low-income tenants. More than a half-dozen public and private agencies, from Fannie Mae to the Pratt Area Community Council, were involved in the nearly $10 million restoration. Built in the 1850s, the 39-room house had deteriorated by 1996 into a short-stay hotel that went bankrupt. It will now provide housing to 50 HIV-positive people and 20 low-income tenants. "It was clear the community didn't want [the new facility] at first," said former PACC Executive Director Vivian Becker. "But I don't think they understood what we were doing. Everyone seems pleased today." Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the public-private partnership: "Let's hope it will become a metaphor for New York City and the whole country."

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