“The fact that you saved this land for housing [for the elderly] speaks highly of your religious values,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney in noting the 70-unit building’s location in “one of the most celebrated areas in one of the most expensive cities in the nation,”

Thus was the salute to the values of the Catholic Church and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC), who brought the new Cabrini apartments for the aging, to fruition. This was the common thread in remarks delivered at the July 15 opening ceremonies on 19th Street, in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan.

Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation (CCNR) and St.Cabrini Nursing Home (SCNH) are co-sponsors of the residence for the low-income elderly, built with an $11.9 million Housing and Urban Development Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly grant. While helping to meet an extreme shortage of low income housing in Manhattan, the apartments will be distinctive, providing a service coordinator to address the social and medical concerns of its residents as part of the $11.9 million HUD grant. With rising life expectancies, HUD has taken the progressive step of including a service component in some Section 202 grants where sponsors such as CCNR and SCNH have shown an ability to meet such needs.

In addition to 70 one-bedroom units, including eight which are handicapped accessible, the new residence has a community room that opens onto a landscaped patio, a family dining/meeting room, roof terrace, lounge, program room, warming pantry and laundry room.

Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan, Vicar General, of New York’s Roman Catholic Diocese, who presided at the event, pointed to the importance that scripture places on home and housing. “That biblical tradition is alive here on 19th Street,” he said. Bishop Sullivan also cited calls by national and New York State Catholic bishops’ organizations for a right to decent housing as “necessary to live a life that is truly human.”

With the opening taking place amid the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the birthday of their foundress, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, MSC Provincial, Sr. Lucille Souza, MSC, said the new home “brings to light the newest MSC mission in meeting today’s needs, serving the poor, frail elderly.” The Missionary Sisters sponsor CCNR and SCNH. She lauded the “pure missionary zeal” of Patricia Krasnausky, James Smith, Robert DeVito, Pamela Guigli and others for their “support, optimism, and can-do spirit,” for the project.

Emphasizing the need for government support for housing, City Council Member Margarita Lopez also praised the religious role in addressing this concern. “I’d like to thank the Catholic Church for not forgetting the needy,” she said. “This is the beginning of an era in the life of the Cabrini Eldercare Consortium and the people who will live here,” said Consortium President Patricia Krasnausky. In outlining the genesis of the effort, she credited the work of many individuals, including the Missionary Sisters, Board members and staff of the Consortium and HUD, in bringing the residence to reality.

“It’s a little bit of a big picture, but I’m mighty proud of it,” said Cabrini Housing Development Fund Chair James A. Smith in observing that more than 2,000 elderly individuals are served by some 1000 Cabrini Eldercare Consortium staff each day. Although housing needs far exceed those met by the new units, “It’s a beginning and it’s important,” he told the gathering.

Deborah Van Amerongen, HUD Director New York Multifamily Hub, emphasized the value of the land secured by the religious sponsors in making the project possible, as well as the efforts of elected officials and Cabrini and HUD staff.

The housing is part of the Cabrini Eldercare Consortium’s efforts to meet the evolving needs of the aged. The Consortium consists of Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, St. Cabrini Nursing Home, Cabrini Housing Development Fund, Corp., and Cabrini Care at Home, a licensed home health services agency serving New York City and Westchester.