A plan to house formerly incarcerated people with medical issues on an NYC Health + Hospitals campus in the East Bronx is once again coming to the front line of borough politics, with the project’s proponents and opponents gearing up for what will be a hotly discussed topic in the coming months.
The board of directors at NYC Health + Hospitals voted last week to officially approve their plan, called Just Home, marking the end of more than a year of the sometimes unruly public review process. Now, the project will move forward to the New York City Council, even with its sitting member’s opposition.
Bronx Republican Council Member Kristy Marmorato — who pulled off a shocking upset against the Council District 13 Democratic incumbent Marjorie Velázquez in November and just started her first term — had been staunch in her opposition to Just Home throughout the course of her City Council campaign. In fact, she told the Bronx Times when launching her bid for the District 13 seat that Just Home specifically was the impetus for her run.
Her chief of staff April Cardena told the Bronx Times on Feb. 1 that Marmorato remains opposed to the project, saying “she’s been very transparent” about her stance from the beginning, and will “continue to stand with” her constituents.
Originally announced by NYC Health + Hospitals and the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in 2022, Just Home entails turning the empty building at 1900 Seminole Ave. on the Jacobi campus into permanent supportive housing for people leaving jail with complex medical needs. Some of those complex medical needs include conditions such as congestive heart failure, stage 4 cancer and end-stage renal disease.
The Fortune Society — a New York City-based nonprofit that aims to provide alternatives to incarceration and services to people leaving custody — is set to be the developer, manager and social service provider for the Just Home…
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