This new, 3-story, 34,000 SF purpose-built men’s shelter in Westchester, Bronx provides 200-beds and onsite social services provided by Care for the Homeless. An independent NYS-certified, community health clinic with a separate entrance provides medical services to the wider community as well as residents of the shelter. Envisioned as a bright, welcoming and secure shelter, the entrance features a generous porch with benches, glazed vestibule, and window wall overlooking the semi-enclosed outdoor patio area with landscaping and additional seating. The lobby’s reception desk is oriented to ensure clear sightlines to the outdoor porch area, main recreation room, dining room, and social services suite. Both the recreation and dining room open onto an enclosed, planted yard along Ponton Avenue, providing a safe, outdoor space for residents to gather.
Dormitories on floors 2-3 are broken into two wings, with each wing having 4 separate dorm rooms with 6 to 14 beds. Additionally, each wing is served by its own set of toilet and shower rooms effectively creating two independent yet connected micro-communities. A security desk, ancillary social services room, and communal recreation room with an attached laundry room are located at the nexus of the two wings. The security desk has clear sightlines down each dorm corridor and through the recreation room to the laundry room, ensuring safety for staff and residents. Seating beside the desk has pleasant views onto the green roofing on the ground floor canopy, providing a bright waiting area by day and mini lounge for those awake during sleeping hours. The roof features green roofing and an enclosed outdoor recreation area with pergolas and benches for clients.
The building's façade design mirrors its plan; blue EIFS cladding along the component on Blondell Ave and green EIFS along the component on Ponton Ave demarcate the two dormitory wings. Communal spaces, including the ground floor and main stair tower, are clad in grey brick. The building meets 2020 Enterprise Green Community standards and features a gas-fired hydronic heating system and an emergency generator.
Client: Foremost Real Estate; Care for the Homeless.
Agency: NYC DHS.
Program: shelter, community health clinic, parking lot (29 cars).
Size: 34,000 SF, 3 stories, 200 beds.
Team: Landscape Design: Billie Cohen Ltd. Structural Engineering: ADG. Geotechnical/SOE: JZN. Mechanical Engineering: 2L Engineering. Civil Engineering: AWZ Engineering. Lighting: Jim Conti. General Contractor: KSK Construction Group.