In March 2020, Leviticus provided $584,639 in financing to support the development of the Gateway Lofts Supportive Apartments, a new project in Jamestown, New York that will generate 56 units of supportive housing, 54 units of affordable housing, and more than 41,000 square feet of community facilities.
The project is a collaboration between Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL), a nonprofit that provides rehabilitative and support services in western New York and develops affordable housing in New York and western Pennsylvania, and Community Helping Hands (CHH), a faith-based social services organization in Jamestown that provides emergency assistance to local families in need of clothing, household items, and furniture.
A key aspect of the project is the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the 182,938-square-foot former Chautauqua Hardware factory on the south side of the Chadakoin River. The project will also include the demolition of two adjacent two-family homes to create additional parking and greenspace.
Leviticus provided two loans from two different sources to support the project: a $469,639 loan through our Project Start Fund that will be used to finance the project’s predevelopment costs and an $115,000 loan from Leviticus’ general lending pool that will be used to cover property expenses until construction financing has closed.
Of the Gateway Lofts’ 56 supportive housing units, 48 will be designated for homeless adults who have a serious mental illness, have a substance abuse disorder, or are frail; eight will be reserved for young adults who are homeless. STEL will assign 16 of the units to the Young Women’s Christian Association, which will provide staffing and supportive services for the tenants of these 16 units. STEL will provide services to tenants of the remaining 40 units.
The 56 affordable housing units will be reserved for low-income individuals and families facing homelessness. The community service facilities will be occupied by a variety of nonprofits, including CHH that will provide additional services to the residents of Gateway Lofts and to the broader community.
