(New York, NY – August 6, 2025) – As part of its Housing for Health initiative, NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that its Board of Directors has approved the next step in advancing the proposed the Morrisania River Commons project, which will bring 328 units of affordable and supportive housing and a new community clinic to the Bronx. The proposed apartment building would be located at 1225 Gerard Avenue in the Bronx, on the campus of NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania. The project’s footprint is currently the facility’s parking lot and annex, and patient care at the Morrisania clinic would be uninterrupted during construction. The proposed project now requires a vote in the City Council and Mayoral approval in order to move forward with construction.
The Morrisania River Commons project is expected to create approximately 328 affordable units, including housing for patients of NYC Health + Hospitals experiencing homelessnesss and a unit for the building’s superintendent. The building would include a mix of studios, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments. Tenants would also have access to amenities including a fitness center, playroom, community room, 15th-floor community terrace, 24/7 security, and onsite offices for management and supportive services. In addition, the mixed-use project envisions 6,000 square feet for African Resource Center and Bronx Works Empowerment Center; 7,500 square feet of public green space; 43,000 square foot modern and expanded clinical space for NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health Morrisania; and a 75-car parking facility. Once complete, the building’s proximity to NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania will give its residents easy access to health care.
“As a doctor, I know there isn’t always a treatment for every illness, but the prescription for homelessness is clear,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Housing has an outsized benefit in helping patients experiencing homelessness improve their health. The Morrisania River Commons project will impact the lives and health of hundreds of New Yorkers.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals is proud to do its part to address the housing crisis in New York City,” said Leora Jontef, NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Assistant Vice President of Housing and Real Estate. “Building new quality supportive and affordable housing on our land is a core component of Housing for Health. River Commons uses public land for a public good, bringing more housing for our patients and their families, as well as the Morrisania community at large.”
“We know that smart housing policy is smart health policy. We've seen how closely they’re tied—when people have a stable home, they’re more likely to stay well, get care when they need it, and be part of a stronger, safer community. That’s why our partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals matters so much. At River Commons, we’re celebrating another important step forward turning what used to be a hospital parking lot into something powerful: over 300 affordable homes, a state-of-the-art health clinic, and real opportunity for New Yorkers who’ve deserve the best of both. This project isn’t just about solving a crisis—it’s about preventing the next one. It’s about building a healthier, more supportive future for everyone,” said Acting HPD Commissioner Ahmed Tigani.
“The Housing for Health initiative recognizes the fundamental connection between a person’s physical and mental wellbeing and housing security,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “HDC looks forward to partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals on projects like Morrisania River Commons that simultaneously address the housing and healthcare needs of some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers.”
“River Commons embodies a core belief of our woman-led development team: that access to safe, high-quality, and inspiring affordable housing is the essential foundation for New Yorkers to lead productive, healthy, and joyful lives,” said Annie Tirschwell of Type A Projects. “Partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals and its Housing for Health initiative allows us to deliver a unique housing program for medically vulnerable New Yorkers, along with an expansion of a critical Gotham Health clinic. This innovative public-private collaboration offers a model for advancing holistic, community-embedded systems of health and wellness.”
The development team River Commons Owners LLC, a partnership between Type A Projects, a women-owned affordable housing developer; BronxWorks, a leading community-based non-profit serving the Bronx for over 50 years; and L & M, an impact-driven developer, builder, and manager of affordable housing, will sign a 99-year ground lease concurrent with future financing from the City. This project is a result of the 2018 Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan and Rezoning.
In 2024, the NYC Health + Hospitals system provided care for over 80,000 patients experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, including over 17,000 children. Adults experiencing homelessness have three times more hospital and emergency department visits than the general population. In addition to improving participants’ lives by finding them housing, the program is expected to reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits and improve health care outcomes. NYC Health + Hospitals recognizes that chronic health issues of unhoused patients cannot be treated without stable housing. Its Housing for Health initiative connects patients experiencing homelessness to housing supports and opportunities. Through the end of June 2025, over 3,000 patients and their families have benefited from Housing for Health housing navigation and medical respite programming, and nearly 1,500 patient households have been stably housed.
Developing housing on hospital land is a key piece of Housing for Health — NYC Health + Hospitals’ initiative to connect patients experiencing homelessness to stable, affordable housing — as well as a strategy outlined in Mayor Adams’ housing plan — “Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness.” Morrisania River Commons is one of several projects that will contribute to Housing for Health’s commitment to create nearly 650 new affordable homes in the next five years. Additional developments are expected to break ground in the next year, including Just Home in the Bronx on the campus of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. In March, the health system celebrated the opening of Woodhull Phase II in Brooklyn on the campus of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull.
