A new development is providing critical permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals impacted by mental illness in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Carrfour Supportive Housing’s 36-unit Dr. Alice Moore Apartments—named in honor of a longtime community resident, educator, and advocate—aims to provide residential stability with an array of wraparound services for adults with mental illness to avoid costlier and much higher levels of care that they don’t need.
The development opened in September and is fully leased. One of the residents had been in a state hospital and had been ready to be discharged for years but had no place to go until the opening of Dr. Alice Moore Apartments. Others were ready for this housing after being on the streets.
“Dr. Alice Moore Apartments offers residents who are living with mental illness the promise of a brighter future by supplying them with wide-ranging and thorough supportive services within a safe and affordable housing community they can be proud to call home,” says Stephanie Berman-Eisenberg, Carrfour’s president and CEO.
The development is the nonprofit’s first outside of Miami-Dade County, where it has 21 supportive housing projects and two under development.
Berman-Eisenberg credits the city of West Palm Beach for the project from start to finish. City officials invited the nonprofit to explore potential sites and stood by its side throughout the development process when it encountered neighborhood NIMBY opposition, which delayed the project and added costs.
“When we come into a new community, we have to do a lot of educating and work to get that support,” she says. “The city was a strong advocate for Carrfour and for this development. Without a doubt, this wouldn’t have been completed without the unwavering support. It’s what a community should act like in serving the most vulnerable.”
In addition, the city provided HOME funding for the $11 million development, which was primarily financed with low-income housing tax credits allocated by Florida Housing Finance Corp. Enterprise Housing Credit Investments served as the syndicator and Bank of America as the investor and construction lender.
While the 36 units are for residents earning at or less than 60% of the area median income, 75% are earmarked for adults with mental illness. Carrfour was a recipient of Section 8 mainstream vouchers and has been able to subsidize all of the units.
The development features a mix of studios and one-bedroom units with outdoor green space, a library and a business center, a gym, a lobby and reception area, and ample meeting space.
Crossroads Management, Carrfour’s property management team, facilitates on-site individualized and comprehensive supportive services, including a full range of behavioral and primary care services as well as employment and job training and navigating benefits.
“The services we provide are very focused on residential stability,” says Berman-Eisenberg. “The primary goal is to keep our folks housed within the building.”
Carrfour continues its expansion outside of Miami-Dade, where it’s headquartered. It is starting to lease The Residences at Equality Park, a 48-unit affordable housing community in Wilton Manors, Broward County, and is building Heritage Park at Crane Creek, which will include supportive, affordable, and market-rate housing, in Melbourne, Brevard County.
