Habitat for Humanity Homes on Hart Street
Our post last week about the Habitat for Humanity project on Halsey prompted Bed Stuy Blog to do some more research on the non-profit’s other work in the borough. In addition to a set of small townhomes on Willoughby and Marcus Garvey, the blog turned up this set of red brick houses on Hart Street…
Our post last week about the Habitat for Humanity project on Halsey prompted Bed Stuy Blog to do some more research on the non-profit’s other work in the borough. In addition to a set of small townhomes on Willoughby and Marcus Garvey, the blog turned up this set of red brick houses on Hart Street in Bed Stuy. Other than those silly canopies and the meters on the facades, we have to give these high marks, especially given what the budget must have been. Does anyone know how HFH would have gotten around having to include parking? What about disabled access requirements?
Habitat Homes in Bed Stuy [Bed Stuy Blog]
Checking In on Habitat’s Halsey Homes [Brownstoner]
No volunteers? When they talk about a disposable society, ever think they are talking about you. Community, is a word you and the brokers talk about, but there is no sense of community. Oh, you bought a kitchen magnet at last year’s flea market,I’m sorry you are the All Compassionate.
I’d hope there wasn’t some idiot parking requirement to build here. The J/M/Z isn’t the best train, and neither is the G, but there’s still no need for off-street parking.
Habitat started out building only single family homes because that’s what they do in other parts of the country. When they started to work in NYC and other cities, they quickly realized that urban housing needs can be different, and that other solutions need to be implimented – now they are building both multi-unit, as well as single family homes. They still depend on volunteers and the sweat equity of the future homeowners, and this is what separates them from a program where someone wins a housing lottery. Plus they are run much more efficiently. By the way, these houses are not free, although they are highly subsidized. HFH does not believe in handouts.
I have no problem with them building these attractive single family homes, unlike anon 3:10.They are contextual to the surrounding neighborhood, and create a block of like minded new homeowners who will be very highly motivated to keep this block as pristine as the photographs.(with some landscaping hopefully) As most public housing projects have proved, stacking people like cordwood is not the way to go. Why not some single family homes, as well as some multiple family homes or apartment buildings? Why not afford to low income folks the same things all of us want, a well built roof over our heads?
Also, I would be the first to agree that there is little to no quality housing of this kind being built for middle income people. It’s wrong, and frankly, short sighted of developers and the city in general, to ignore the people who keeps this burg running. But let’s not begrudge a VERY small amount of people who WORK to get one of these homes. They are coming from worse conditions than most of us can imagine, and at the end of the day, still have to fight to survive in an expensive city, perhaps with little in the way of quality education and career choices, and still with many of the daily situations that did not leave them just because they moved into a new house. Being low income with a decent roof over your head is better than low income with dreadful living conditions, but it’s still low income.
I think Habitat builds mostly houses, which is cool, I love the idea that families of modest means can own their own home. But its not so cool that middle-income fanilies are left out in the cold. For us its the suburbs because Brooklyn real estate is evindently now only for he richy-rich. and for the lucky few poor folks who win whatever lottery they need to win to move into a habitat house.
I commend Habitat for building quality housing for people of limited income but the idea of building townhouses in a NYC for the poor is rediculous. For the money spent, they could build condo apartments and house twice as many families. Even in Bed-Stuy a new townhouse would sell for $500 to $600K which strikes me as a very inefficient way to provide quality housing for poor families.
??? is right, these are single-family homes which will be owned, not rented, by the people living in them. but ??? is wrong about habitat being exempt while individuals would have to comply. that’s not the case.
There are limestone low walls outside some houses in PLG, a place that certainly has its graffiti on commercial streets, and those walls don’t get graffiti on them. It’s always a possibility, but it’s not a “given” just because it’s Bed-Stuy.
It’s ironic in a way that groups like “habitat” are building the type of housing for the poor in Brooklyn that is inceasingly becoming out of reach for the middle class. Unless by middle class, you include families that can buy a two-million dollar home.
Low brick walls? In less than 60 minutes, they’d be covered with graffitti.