Former NYC Migrant Shelter Transformed Into Affordable Housing For Low-Income And Homeless

A former migrant shelter in Harlem, NY will now house low-income families and formerly homeless people.

What was once a college dorm, and then a migrant shelter in Harlem, New York, is now being turned into affordable housing for low-income families and the formerly unhoused.

On Monday, the local housing nonprofit Breaking Ground unveiled plans to begin construction on a 19-story high-rise at 1760 Third Ave., converting the building into 435 affordable apartments for low-income individuals and those previously experiencing homelessness, Patch reported. Breaking Ground President and CEO Brenda Rosen announced that out of the 435 units, 261 will be designated for formerly homeless individuals. At the same time, 174 will be reserved for low-income residents earning at or below 60% of the area median income.

“The need for affordable housing for low-income individuals — and obviously for those who are homeless — is dire, and to have the opportunity to use an underutilized site to produce so many units at one time is just a rare and fantastic opportunity,” Rosen said.

Construction will occur primarily inside the building and will begin in early February and finish within 18 to 24 months, making the building fully operational as early as August 2026. The announcement comes six months after Breaking Ground’s $172 million acquisition of the building in late June.

Located in Harlem, just a block from the Upper East Side, between East 97th and 98th streets, the property was first a college dorm for CUNY and then a migrant shelter in June 2023. The transformed apartments need to be refreshed for families and fitted with kitchenettes.

The nonprofit’s renderings showcase the newly remodeled apartments, featuring a sleek, modern design. The apartments will have light-colored floors, silver kitchen appliances, white subway-tile backsplashes, and porcelain floor tiles in the bathrooms. The building will also include amenities such as a community gathering space for activities and workshops, a fitness center, a computer room, a medical suite, and office space for Breaking Ground’s property management team and social services staff.

A $500,000 donation from the Wells Fargo Foundation funded furniture for the units and common areas, as well as the addition of a computer room and fitness center. Applications for the building are expected to open in about a year, with Breaking Ground planning to prioritize applicants who already reside in the neighborhood.

“Quality affordable housing is certainly linked to economic stability, it’s linked to generational wealth, and it’s linked to overall well-being, so that is why the new development in Harlem is so important for New Yorkers,” said Krissy Moore, senior vice president of northeast community relations at Wells Fargo.

“Access to an affordable place to call home is something everyone should have.”