A planned Syracuse housing development has received $2.75 million in state funding to help build 68 affordable apartments, including 29 reserved for people leaving homelessness after domestic violence.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the award for the Spanish Action League, known as La Liga, at a Hispanic Heritage Month event Thursday, according to the governor's release. La Liga is working with Acacia Network and Acacia Real Estate Network on Westside Village, a five-building project on Syracuse's West Side. The award addresses a funding gap; the release does not give a construction start or completion date.
Housing and services planned
The proposed development would set aside 29 permanent supportive apartments for unhoused survivors of domestic violence. The other 39 apartments would serve low-income households. Plans also include community space and a residents' garden.
La Liga plans to provide domestic violence counseling, case management and help with employment and financial stability. The release does not specify rent levels, income limits for the 39 apartments or how prospective residents will apply. It also does not state the full development cost or the other funding sources.
Raul Russi, president and CEO of Acacia Network, said the award moves a project years in the making closer to construction. He described the planned apartments as safe, affordable homes for families, including survivors who need supportive housing. The state's announcement presents the apartments as planned, not completed or available for move-in.
La Liga is based in Syracuse and has served residents of Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, Cortland and Cayuga counties for more than 50 years, according to the governor's office. Those counties describe the organization's service area; the Westside Village development itself is in Syracuse.
Other announcements at the event
Hochul made the announcement at a statewide Hispanic Heritage Month breakfast at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She also recognized five organizations providing legal services to unaccompanied immigrant youth: Catholic Charities Community Services, Kids in Need of Defense, Safe Passage Project, Project Rousseau and Empire Justice Center. The recognition followed a separate $7.25 million state funding announcement in August for legal services for approximately 1,400 young people facing active removal proceedings.
The governor's office also announced a free Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit, “Unidos, Somos Mas. Together, We Are More,” in the Governor's Reception Room on the second floor of the New York State Capitol. The exhibit is available in English and Spanish from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 15. Hochul signed a proclamation recognizing Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month.
The state release does not give a date for Westside Village to open. La Liga and its development partners still must carry the project from the announced funding award to completed housing.
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