The Doe Fund Receives Over $1M to Renovate Its First Transitional Residence for Homeless Men
Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams join forces to support major renovation of Bedford-Stuyvesant shelter.
New York, NY— The Doe Fund announced plans to renovate the Gates Center for Opportunity, a transitional residence opened in 1990 and operated under contract with the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Located at 520 Gates Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, it is the first of three transitional residences operated by The Doe Fund.
The $1.128 million project will upgrade the facility’s infrastructure, modernizing flooring and fire doors to improve safety, overhauling boiler and electrical systems to increase energy efficiency, and improving the look and feel of community spaces for residents to enjoy. The renovation will take place in stages, with boiler and other systems work to begin next year, and completion slated for 2023-24.
Funding sources include two discretionary grants: one of $600,000 from New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr., and another of $528,000 from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
The project will advance The Doe Fund’s 30-year reputation of providing homeless individuals with dignified and safe transitional residences.
“520 Gates is where the dream of Ready, Willing & Able became a reality. Thirty years ago, when nobody believed it possible, the first group of homeless men moved in and began proving to the world that when given an opportunity to work and become self-sufficient, they would give up drugs and succeed. We have always believed in the power of environment, and renovating our original facility will demonstrate to our hard-working program participants that they matter, and that they deserve to live with dignity in safe, attractive and clean surroundings. We are deeply grateful to Speaker Johnson, Council Member Cornegy and Borough President Adams for sharing our vision and for providing the funding that makes this possible,” said George McDonald, Founder and President of The Doe Fund.
“While there are plenty of systemic pipelines that consistently bear on some of our borough’s most vulnerable, the Ready, Willing & Able program is a pipeline upward, providing the support, structure, and safety needed to break these cycles of homelessness, addiction, and recidivism. I am proud to have been able to provide funding to help the 520 Gates Avenue transitional residence renovate and reimagine its space and be able to continue its great work, especially in these difficult times,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
“For 30 years, 520 Gates has sheltered men facing homelessness. But like any aging facility, it needs upgrades to keep operating safely and humanely. The City Council is proud to fund the renovation of this transitional shelter so that the men who live there have the comfortable and appealing space they deserve. I’m grateful to the Doe Fund for operating this facility and supporting New Yorkers in need,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
“This funding represents an investment in the infrastructure of opportunity. In supporting The Doe Fund in its indispensable work, we assist in delivering a more secure future for those who have faced homelessness. Joining with colleagues in government, I am proud we were able to invest more than a million dollars in renovating the Gates Center for Opportunity and our neighborhood’s future,” said Council Member Robert Cornegy.
