"This is the first shelter I've been in that I've actually gotten real help for me and my children. When you're on the inside, it looks like a normal apartment building. All of the building's studios and one- and two-bedroom units function as private living spaces, each with its own bathroom and kitchen."
"The $73 million facility, which opened last September, looks like any other gray brick Brooklyn apartment tower. That's until you glimpse the 11-story mural of a little girl balancing books, a globe, and a teddy bear on a box of school supplies. The image, painted by the muralist and painter DaFlemingo, sets the building apart from most other homeless shelters."
"Unlike most homeless shelters in the city, many of which are repurposed commercial buildings or hotels, the building was designed to create transitional housing that could easily be transformed into permanent affordable housing if shelter demand falls."
The Fort Greene Family Center, a $73 million facility that opened in September, offers transitional housing to formerly homeless families in Brooklyn. The building features 11 and two-bedroom units designed as private apartments with individual bathrooms and kitchens, distinguishing it from traditional shelters. Residents receive comprehensive support including school enrollment assistance, transportation, and permanent housing placement help. The facility's distinctive design, including a prominent mural by artist DaFlemingo, helps it integrate into the neighborhood. The building can be converted to permanent affordable housing if shelter demand declines. The center has faced minimal community opposition, and residents report receiving meaningful assistance in transitioning to stable housing.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]