New affordable apartments in Medford offer rents starting at $975 for seniors
Medford Gardens is accepting applications from people 55 and over for 33 new apartments through a housing lottery. Credit: Barry Sloan
Long Islanders who are 55 and older can apply for one of 33 new apartments in Medford, where rents will start as low as $975 for tenants who meet certain income requirements.
Medford Gardens, a complex built by the nonprofit WellLife Network, is accepting applications through June 2 and will select tenants through a housing lottery later next month, the nonprofit said.
The three-story building has a total of 67 apartments, and the non-lottery apartments are designated for people who have previously experienced homelessness or mental health issues. They will be filled through a separate screening process run by the Suffolk County Department of Social Services, the nonprofit said.
The apartments, at 3161 Horseblock Rd., offer an alternative for seniors who might be weighing a move off Long Island to find housing they can afford, said Sherry Tucker, CEO of New Hyde Park-based WellLife. The nonprofit provides services to people with behavioral health conditions, developmental disabilities and those facing addiction in New York City and on Long Island.
“It’s so hard in this area to find affordable housing, especially for those 55 and older as they start to enter the phase they’re on [a] limited income,” Tucker said.
The apartments will open next month with below-market prices at a time when many Long Islanders report struggling to afford basic needs, including housing. However, recent affordable housing lotteries have seen hundreds more applicants than available units.
Rents for one-bedroom units at Medford Gardens will range from $975 for people with lower incomes to $1,460 for people earning at the top of eligible income range, which is set at 60% of Long Island’s area median income.
Eligibility is based on income and household size. Tenants must earn at least $39,000 and a single person could have income up to $69,300. The maximum income for a couple is $79,200, while a family of three could earn $89,100, according to program guidelines.
The rents and income limits are designed so that tenants’ housing costs take up no more than 30% of their gross incomes based on a standard set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The average asking rent in the central Suffolk County submarket, which includes Medford, was $2,592 for a one-bedroom unit during the first quarter of the year, according to CoStar, an Arlington, Virginia-based provider of real estate data. That average includes buildings with at least five units but notably excludes senior housing and affordable housing developments that are comparable to Medford Gardens.
The new development provides badly needed housing for Suffolk County and an option for people who might otherwise only be able to afford an illegal basement apartment, said Ian Wilder, executive director of the fair housing agency Long Island Housing Services in Bohemia.
“Every unit of affordable housing you provide takes the incentive out of the market for rental housing that doesn’t have permits that is potentially dangerous,” said Wilder, who is not involved with the project.
Rents include heat, electric, hot water and Wi-Fi and the building includes an elevator, outdoor patio area, exercise room and laundry facilities on each floor, according to listing details posted online by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the state’s affordable housing agency.
New York State tax credit and grant programs helped fund the majority of the $40 million development.
WellLife funded construction by raising $19 million through the federal and state low-income housing tax credit programs, $7.9 million from the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and $6.7 million from the state's supportive housing opportunity program.
“Each one of those is so critical for these types of developments to come to life,” Tucker said.
WellLife screens tenants for their ability to live independently and the building differs from other buildings where neighbors might be experiencing mental health challenges because WellLife has onsite staff to offer case management, crisis intervention and vocational training, Tucker said.
“Anybody who needs support will get support,” she said.
More details are available online at housingsearch.hcr.ny.gov.
Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.
