Supportive Housing

The Foundling’s Supportive Housing Program supports young people aging out of foster care or at risk of homelessness as they learn to support themselves and build a network of support critical to their lifelong success. Our Supportive Housing Program currently operates in Brooklyn, and provides safe, affordable housing to allow young people to work toward independence. Personalized support is offered to residents as needed, including counseling and connections to education and employment.

The Foundling launched our Supportive Housing Program to provide housing and social support to 18-25 year-olds aging out of foster care or in the shelter system.  The program fosters responsibility and enhances each person’s educational and employment opportunities.

For many of the housing units we provide, The Foundling provides intensive and ongoing guidance to participants (our NY/NY III and NYC 15 Programs). Participants live with a roommate in shared apartments – located across Brooklyn – and pay subsidized rent, and a case planner maintains ongoing contact to ensure they are matched with personalized services based on their individual needs. This dedicated staff member also connects young people with community partners and ensures that participants are learning individual responsibility and working toward stated goals.

For young people that need less support, The Foundling offers a more independent track (our ESSHI Program). Participants are housed in their own studio apartments in a new development in Brownsville, Brooklyn – Vital Brookdale – and have access to support services and a community of peers.  Young people must have been employed for six months and equipped to pay 30% of their gross income toward rent.

Through a balance of teaching individual responsibility and offering and connecting young people with community support, our Supportive Housing Program helps to prepare young adults for the future.

For all inquiries regarding our scattered-site NY/NY III and NYC 15 supportive housing programs, please visit New York City’s HRA (Human Resources Administration) website here, as all applications for NY/NY III and NYC 15 must be submitted through HRA via the CAPS system.  

For more information or questions about our ESSHI (Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative) program, please email ESSHI@NYFoundling.org.