Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and partners, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), New York City Office for Persons With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) and elected officials, held the official dedication of the Catholic Charities Peter J. Striano Residence in Howard Beach, N.Y., on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
New York State awarded the property to Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples (CCPOP) Development Corporation through a competitive RFP process. The residence, located at 155-55 Cross Bay Boulevard, offers 96 units of affordable housing to seniors and persons with developmental disabilities. It features an integrated approach to living with on-site social services, disaster case management services, food delivery services to homebound seniors and an on-site senior center, available for not just the residents of the Peter J. Striano Residence, but of the larger Howard Beach community.
The residence was named in honor of Peter J. Striano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unity International Group, a long-time member of the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and a corporate leader at the annual Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner. Over the years, Striano has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the work of Catholic Charities and our neighbors in need. A native New Yorker, Striano has made community revitalization efforts and charitable giving an important priority in his life. For more than a decade, he has hosted and sponsored the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Memorial Golf Classic, which raises funds in support of Catholic Charities and its more than 160 human service programs. In 2010, Peter Striano was honored with the Bishop Sullivan Corporate Ministry Award at the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner.
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., New York State Senate, 15th District; Audrey Pfeffer, Queens County Clerk; Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder, New York State Assembly, 23rd District; Sister Ellen Patricia Finn, OP, Deputy Executive Director of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Monsignor Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services Diocese of Brooklyn; Caroline Striano; Peter J. Striano; Most Reverand Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn; Robert Siebel, CEO Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliated agencies; Councilman Eric Ulrich, NYC Council, 32nd District; Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner/CEO, New York State Homes and Community Renewal; Sheila Green-Gholson, Deputy Director DDRO 4, New York State Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities; Carmela Chiarrella, future tenant of the Peter J. Striano Residence
WATCH NOW! Video testimonials of the Peter J. Striano Residence Tenants and Howard Beach Senior Center members.
The dedication was well attended with speakers that included: the Bishop of Brooklyn Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D.; Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliated agencies Robert Siebel; the Vicar for Human Services of the Diocese of Brooklyn Msgr. Alfred LoPinto; New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach); and the facility’s namesake Peter J. Striano.
Also speaking as part of the program were Darryl C. Towns, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer for New York State Homes and Community Renewal; Sheila Green-Gholson, Deputy Director, DDRO 4, New York State Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities; Ray Hodges, Deputy Director NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development; New York State Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach); NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-District 32) and Joseph Facciola, a Program Officer for the NYC Department for the Aging. A current tenant of the Peter J. Striano residence also gave a few remarks in appreciation.
“This project truly allows us all to uphold our commitment to providing older adults with the highest quality housing right in their own neighborhoods, while at the same time integrating an on-site senior center and services for persons with developmental disabilities,” remarked Robert Siebel, CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliated agencies. “The opening of these 96 units would have never been possible without the work done by each and every one of our partners. We are incredibly grateful to work with them. I am especially thankful for Mr. Peter J. Striano, for whom this facility is named. He is a long-time member of our Board of Trustees and a dedicated champion of Catholic Charities’ commitment to affordable housing. Over the years, he has continually demonstrated his commitment to serving our neighbors in need and revitalizing communities and I can think of no one more deserving for this facility to be named after.”
At least 80 percent of the units at the Peter J. Striano Residence are studio or one-bedroom apartments reserved for low-to-moderate income senior citizens over the age of 55. The other 20 percent of the units are one-to-two bedroom apartments reserved for individuals supported by OPWDD. These apartments will be resourced by Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services (CCNS), an affiliated agency of CCBQ, and the Young Adult Institute (YAI). Along with the apartments, the residence includes a well-lit lobby with large windows, community room, pool table room, computer room, art room and community kitchen. Each floor is decorated with a specific theme, including the beach, flowers and the park. The senior center will also incorporate wellness, education and fitness classes and other programming geared toward older adults.
Click here for full press release. For a complete media kit on this event, contact Kristin Quinn at kquinn@ccbq.org.
