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City Council approves Jacobi ‘Just Home’ supportive housing after heated debate with mayor’s office
Summary
The New York City Council on Sept. 25 approved a land-use action to allow NYC Health + Hospitals to sublease part of the Jacobi campus for an 83-unit supportive housing project, overriding last-minute opposition from Mayor Adams' office; the motion passed 36-9 with three abstentions.
The New York City Council on Sept. 25 voted to approve a land-use application that lets NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) sublease a six-story building on the Jacobi campus in the Bronx to support a joint H+H and Fortune Society project called Just Home.
The council approved the measure, LU 363 with accompanying Resolution 10-74, by a vote of 36 in favor, 9 opposed and 3 abstentions. Speaker Adrienne Adams led the floor presentation and repeatedly defended the project against a last-minute legal challenge from the mayor’s office.
Why it matters: Just Home is designed to provide supportive, medically informed housing for New Yorkers exiting the justice system who have chronic and complex medical needs. Backers said the project combines housing and on-site medical supports to reduce homelessness and improve reentry outcomes for a highly vulnerable population.
The project and debate: The council description said H+H would approve a 99-year sublease of an existing six-story building to allow development of 83 new homes, including 58 permanent supportive studio units and 24 affordable units that would be made available through NYC Housing Connect. Council materials say the development would include on-site social services, 24-hour security and continuous staff coverage.
Speaker Adrienne Adams accused the mayor and his counsel of trying to block the plan at the last minute and denounced a letter from Mayor Adams’ outside counsel. "Their desperate last-ditch attempt came in the form of a ridiculous letter from Mr. Mastro, which carries no weight at all under the law," Adams said on the floor, calling the push to delay "disgraceful."
Opposition and member-deference debate: Council Member Marmorado, the local member who urged a no vote, argued the council should respect the principle of member deference and the wishes of constituents. "To vote yes on this today is to ignore the work and ignore the very principle that this body claims to defend," Marmorado said, urging colleagues to reject LU 363.
Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala and other supporters said the individuals intended for the site need medical supports that would not be provided in congregate shelters. Ayala said residents would be "so ill that they would require transportation to the actual hospital across the street" and that they posed "no public safety concern." Council Member Gale Brewer, citing the Fortune Society's experience, and Council Member Crystal Hudson both urged approval. Hudson said, "Housing is health care," and described the housing as a pathway to recovery and reentry.
Vote and next steps: The council adopted the land-use action despite disagreements about member deference and site selection. The council record shows the H+H board had previously authorized the lease; Speaker Adams noted the statutory land-use process requires the council vote to proceed. The measure now advances consistent with the council's land-use procedures and the terms described at the hearing.
Clarifying details recorded during the hearing: the council record identifies the action as a 99-year sublease of a six-story building on the Jacobi campus; project materials listed 83 new homes, including 58 permanent supportive studio units and 24 affordable units (as stated in council materials); project services include continuous on-site social services and 24-hour security. The council debate included member-deference arguments and repeated references to a letter from Randy Mastro and the mayor’s office asking for postponement.
Votes at the meeting: The clerk announced the final general-orders tally for LU 363 and its resolution as "adopted by a vote of 36 in the affirmative, 9 in the negative and 3 abstentions." No subsequent reversal was recorded on the council floor agenda.
The council did not direct relocation or alternative siting at the meeting; members who raised site-availability concerns noted the state and other parties had been exploring alternatives but did not present a final substitute location on the record. The council also did not adopt any amendment changing the terms of the sublease during the stated meeting.
The council's adoption completes its required land-use approval for this sublease; administrative and implementation steps described by H+H and the Fortune Society outside the hearing will proceed according to the project schedule and applicable city and H+H approvals.
