News and Events
Yale Avenue Apartments Open 1/4/2010
Monday, January 04, 2010
General Facts / Information
• Monday, January 4, 2010 is the official moving day for residents of the Downtown YMCA making the move to the Yale Avenue Apartments located at 4650 E. Admiral Pl.
• The Yale Avenue Apartments were developed to provide housing to about 50 of the approximately 120 men and women displaced by the closing of the YMCA’s residential program. Many of the residents who have made the move from the YMCA to the Yale Avenue Apartments have been long-term residents. Some called the Y home for 15-20 years. This includes many veterans, the elderly, and the disabled. Some are formerly homeless. Many have never been homeless.
• The Yale Avenue Apartments consist of 76 units of permanent, affordable housing – 66 efficiencies and 10 one bedroom apartments.
• Residents will pay between $300 – 350 a month in rent for an efficiency apartment which includes a private bath and a small kitchen. This is similar to what residents of the downtown YMCA paid for their 10x10’ dormitory style rooms with a bathroom down the hall. A one bedroom apartment at Yale Avenue will rent for $514.
• The building will be staffed 24/7 by a resident assistant and security staff.
• Amenities include on-site security with monitored interior/exterior cameras, a library w/ computers and internet access, a workout room, both a lounge and activity room with large screen TV’s, a dining room with meal programs available, laundry facilities, an enclosed courtyard, and additional support services for those who need them. High-speed internet, cable and phone service including voice mail are available for a nominal monthly fee. It is very similar to senior living apartments such as those found throughout the community.
• Residents who call the Yale Avenue Apartments home will live independently. While some will rely on Social Security/Disability as their source of income, many of the residents will have jobs.
• Total cost of construction for the Yale Avenue Apartments was $9.7 million, including land, construction, furnishings and equipment. This includes geothermal heating and cooling, a full commercial kitchen, dining facilities, laundry, workout room, security, outdoor patio areas and much more. Apartments are wired for high-speed internet, cable and phone, and all units also include an intercom system.
• With the assistance of the case managers at the YMCA, and members of the faith community, about 50 people have made the move from the Y to the Yale Avenue Apartments. The remainder of the Y residents received assistance to move into other apartments and housing scattered throughout the community. All have been successfully relocated.
• All residents of the YMCA received assistance including help with security deposits, first months rent, utility assistance, and help moving. This assistance was funded through stimulus dollars received from Tulsa County along with private funds received from Building Tulsa, Building Lives.
What kind of support services will be available to residents living at the Yale Avenue Apartments?
• Wrap-around support services include case management, access to health care, individual support groups, life skills training, personal financial management, education advancement, employment training, and family support groups.
• The Yale Avenue Apartments will be included as a stop for the free shuttle service operated by Morton Comprehensive Health Serivces, which will provide residents with transportation to community health related services, along with easy access to social services, and other community supports.
• Research shows that vulnerable and at-risk individuals respond more positively to interventions and social services support when they are in their own housing, rather than while living in temporary/transitional facilities or shelters.
Good Neighbor Policy / Facts about Mental Health Association Housing
• The Mental Health Association in Tulsa will be responsible for the day-to-day operations, staffing and management of the Yale Avenue Apartments. The Association opened its first housing property in 1990 and currently owns and operates approximately 340 units of housing scattered throughout the community.
• The Association takes a very hands-on approach to managing its properties and has rules and regulations in place. In addition to staff working with residents to maintain a good neighbor policy, the Association has an open door policy and works with area businesses and homeowners to make sure should any concerns arise they are addressed.
• The Mental Health Association in Tulsa’s housing programs have received national recognition and have served as a model for communities much larger than Tulsa, including Dallas and Houston.
• The Mental Health Association has a contract with the Veteran’s Administration, and a major focus of the Yale Avenue Apartments will be to provide housing and support services to homeless, disabled veterans.
• The Housing First Model has a proven track record of success. Without a safe, decent, affordable place to live, it’s virtually impossible for someone to focus on recovery. Once a person is in housing, it becomes much easier for them to get connected with the care and services they need to rebuild their life, including addressing medical issues, job training, and more.
Will everyone living at the Yale Avenue Apartments have a mental illness?
• No. 38 of the units are dedicated to people who are formerly homeless with disabilities. The remaining 38 units are available to the general population, at market-rate.
Affordable Housing / Homelessness
• The average cost of a 1-bedroom apartment in Tulsa is $545. Someone making minimum wage takes home less than $1000/month. An average disability check is $674/month. Affordable housing is defined as paying 30% of an individual’s income for housing.
• People who wind up homeless come from all walks of life. Many are well educated, have been job-holding, tax-paying citizens who fell on hard times. Loss of employment, divorce, illness/injury/disability, are all common precursors to homelessness. When given an opportunity to get their feet back under them in a supportive environment, most thrive and gain the ability to reclaim their lives and re-integrate back into the fabric of the community.
• The cost of doing nothing and leaving people to be homeless is far greater than providing housing and support services. This proactive approach reduces expensive emergency room visits, cuts down on police and ambulance calls, plus is much more humanitarian.
• The cost of shelters is nearly 3 times more expensive than supportive housing, such as the Yale Avenue Apartments. Annual cost to house individuals: Correctional System for an inmate with mental illness $43,000, Shelter Cost - $24,000, Correctional System - $15,650, Supportive Housing - $7,893.
• A major contributor to homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. As a community we must determine how we choose to address this issue. Building Tulsa, Building Lives is an opportunity to have a community-wide, solution-focused effort.
The proactive approach is to develop more affordable housing and offer wrap around support services to those who need a hand up.
Who is at risk of being homeless?
• Being a single parent, losing a job, getting a divorce, losing health insurance or not keeping up with the rising cost of gas, housing, healthcare, food and utilities are factors that increase a person’s likelihood of becoming homeless.
In addition, more that 20,000 Tulsans live in subsidized housing. 26% of working Tulsans cannot afford market rate housing. These additional 150,000 people – nearly 1 in 4 Tulsans – are at risk of becoming the next wave of homeless in Tulsa.
For More Information:
Mental Health Association in Tulsa – (918)585-1213
www.buildingtulsabuildinglives.org
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