(Washington, D.C., August 22, 2019)--On Aug. 22, the B’nai B’rith Center for Senior Services held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil new renovations at the Adelstein Family B’nai B’rith H.O.P.E. Project in the Bronx, New York. Among other important modernizations, every affordable housing unit will now have its own air conditioner. Rebecca Koepnick, chief strategy officer for portfolio preservation, New York State Homes and Community Renewal; Daniel S. Mariaschin, CEO, B’nai B’rith International; William Connolly, managing partner, Connolly and Partners, LLC; Marty Adelstein, president, Project HOPE Development Corporation; and Shirley Fearon, staff assistant, Office of Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) spoke at the ceremony.
 
“In today’s economic climate, the ability to preserve and rehabilitate safe, supportive housing for lower income seniors is paramount in providing for the next generation of residents,” said Mark Olshan, B’nai B’rith International director of the Center for Senior Services. “B’nai B’rith is pleased to have been involved in the transformation of the Adelstein Family B’nai B’rith Apartments in keeping with our longstanding tradition of ‘honoring thy mother and father’!”
 
Constructed in 1992, the Adelstein Family B’nai B’rith H.O.P.E. Project was initially funded under the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program. It consists of 75 one-bedroom apartments and 25 studio apartments. Individual apartments include new bathrooms with new toilets and bathtubs: new kitchen cabinets, counters and appliances; and all-new lighting and painting throughout. Exterior and common area improvements include new masonry, exterior doors, elevator cabs, windows, plumbing stacks, boilers and pumps. Additionally, state-of-the-art smoke detectors and sprinklers were added, along with upgrades to the building’s electrical system and security cameras. 
 
Additionally, financial resources are now available to provide for a host of specific supportive and social services for the individual residents. Through partnerships with local service provider organizations, for the first time, residents will have access to referrals to community resources, supportive listening and casework services, as well as a host of new classes, workshops events and activities.
 
Funding for the project came from the sale of tax-exempt bonds issued by the New York State House Finance Agency through the sale of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).  This bipartisan program, initiated in 1986, is overseen by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is one of the few programs currently available to provide funds for the construction and preservation of supportive housing for low-income people.
 
At the ceremony, Mariaschin emphasized B’nai B’rith’s commitment to affordable housing for seniors: “We’re proud that B’nai B’rith’s decades-long tradition of providing safe and affordable housing for seniors continues in the Bronx. Our commitment to ensuring a dignified life for each and every resident, over nearly 50 years, stands behind every one of our projects.”

“We are pleased to renovate this fabulous Bronx development,” said B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman. “In doing so, B’nai B’rith and our partners take great pride in moving the earth once again for affordable and dignified senior living. In a borough known for home runs and championships, Project Hope no doubt will be a grand slam for generations.”

Marvin Siflinger, chair of the B’nai B’rith Center for Senior Services, said that “the redevelopment of Project Hope is an excellent example of a true public/private/non-profit partnership all working together to enhance the quality of life of our cherished senior citizens.  With our partners, B’nai B’rith expects to continue to improve the lives of many more lower income seniors.”
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Marty Adelstein delivered this statement on behalf of Sherry and Alan Adelstein: "The Adelstein Family is honored and takes great pride in the redevelopment of the Project Hope-Adelstein Family Building in the Bronx. Over 40 years ago our father, Bernie Adelstein, was the founder and pioneer of this wonderful example of perseverance through government bureaucracy to ultimately realize his commitment to establish affordable housing for senior citizens.  On behalf of the Adelstein Family, we are grateful to our partners, B'nai B'rith and Connolly and Partners, LLC for their support and commitment to provide and improve quality affordable housing to the Senior Citizens at the Bronx Building." 
 
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org

REP. CHRISSY HOULAHAN VISITS B’NAI B’RITH SENIOR HOUSING IN PENNSYLVANIA
 
(Washington, D.C., August 16, 2019)--Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) toured B’nai B’rith House in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 15. She took a tour of the property that included two sample apartments, the library, the party room, the community room and sun room.
 
After taking a tour of the property, the congresswoman spoke to residents about how her office could address constituent services relating to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, she addressed policy updates relating to Social Security, Medicare and affordable housing. About 22 residents heard the congresswoman speak.
 
“Everyone should be able to live a life of dignity in our community,” said Houlahan. “I’m grateful for the work B’nai B’rith International is doing to provide senior citizens in Reading with affordable housing and their advocacy on issues concerning seniors and their families, diversity education, and helping communities in crisis.”
 
B’nai B’rith’s long history with affordable senior housing started in 1971, when we formed a partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to sponsor housing for low-income seniors. The B’nai B’rith Senior Housing Network in the United States comprises 38 buildings and serves some 5,000 people. B’nai B’rith International is the largest national Jewish sponsor of non-sectarian low-income housing for seniors.

Too often, Congress and the White House are debating policies that will inevitably cut important funding from federal programs that impact the lives of older Americans. Congressional visits like this allow B’nai B’rith housing residents the opportunity to be their own best advocates by speaking directly with their representative and making these lawmakers aware of the human faces and stories behind federal programs that benefit seniors.
 
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org
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(Washington, D.C., July 22, 2019)--Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has announced that the B’nai B’rith Senior Residences at the Machon development is a recipient of the 2019 annual affordable housing rental awards in the state.  
 
The residences will be developed as an adaptive re-use of the former Machon School, which is now vacant. Residents will enjoy amenities including a library and fitness center, as well as the presence of an on-site resident service coordinator.
 
“We hope that the senior housing development that was just funded can be one of the models we can use in many of the future proposed B’nai B’rith housing developments we are planning to create around the country,” said Marvin Siflinger, chair of B’nai B’rith International’s Center for Senior Services.
 
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org
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As a national leader in the field of seniors and aging issues, B’nai B’rith International was invited by our partner Leading Age to participate in a tour of several Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202 senior housing buildings with Congressional staffers and discuss the importance of this government program.

B’nai B’rith’s Director of Aging Policy Rachel Goldberg and Associate Director of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Senior Services Janel Doughten, along with Alayna Waldrum of Leading Age, were part of the tour and discussion, explaining what Section 202 housing is, why it is so important and why it is imperative that Congress restore funding to this essential program in the federal budget.

The purpose of the tour was to put a face on why the Section 202 buildings for moderate-to-low-income seniors are so important, and why funding to build more of these homes across the United States should be restored to the federal budget and made a priority. The Congressional delegations often hear statistics and pleas to restore the funding, but until they see the buildings, what they provide, and meet the residents, it is easier to dismiss. By giving these staffers a direct look, and an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the program, B’nai B’rith hopes the staffers came away with a greater urgency to address this issue.

The first building toured was St. Mary’s Court in downtown Washington, D.C., where Doughton serves as the vice president of the building’s board of directors.  The group met with residents, the manager and the service coordinator of the building. St. Mary’s Manager Margaret Pully gave an overview of the building, including demographics of the residents, meal program and the issues with the long waitlist to live in the building. The service coordinator, Ceila Wolter, talked about her wide range of interactions with the residents, from helping a hoarder de-clutter an apartment to making sure someone with a chronic medical issue or someone recently returned from the hospital has the necessary medical care.

The second property congressional staffers toured was the Samuel J. Simmons NCBA Estates (National Caucus and Center on Black Aged). On the bus ride from St. Mary’s Court to NCBA Estates, staffers had a chance to ask Leading Age staff and Doughten questions on the particulars of these buildings and the program, such as why are waitlists closed? How are service coordinators funded? 

Waldrum explained that waitlists in many buildings are closed because there is such a demand for this housing that the lists just got too long. Once it is determined there is more than a two year wait for an apartment, most buildings close the list. They do not want to give false hope to people hoping to move into a building, when the list length means it most likely will not happen. 

Answering the question of how to fund a service coordinator, Waldrum and Doughten informed Congressional staffers that the position was often funded through a HUD grant, but when the federal budget cut the funding to build 202 projects, the money for service coordinators was also mostly eliminated. Some buildings are able to get the costs of a service coordinator built into their operating budget, but not all buildings are able to do that. The members of a building’s board of directors are the volunteer fundraisers for that complex, and they also work with staff to prepare grant applications and other means of funding. 

Although a wonderful building with creative staff, NCBA Estates is an example of what happens when money is cut from Section 202 housing. The wait list has been closed for two years and there is no service coordinator.

B’nai B’rith International is the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income senior housing in the United States, with 42 buildings in 26 communities, encompassing more than 4,000 apartment units and serving more than 8,000 people. Operating the Senior Housing Network since 1968, B'nai B'rith complexes are open to all qualified individuals as defined by HUD, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap or national origin. The B’nai B’rith Senior Housing Network is just a small slice of the almost 400,000 seniors in more than 8,000 buildings throughout the country served by Section 202.