Mayor Zohran Mamdani committed to move forward on Just Home – a supportive housing project for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers with complex medical needs in the Bronx. The initiative marked another move with his affordability-first agenda in mind – and another departure from former Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mamdani announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, that his administration would proceed with the plan to build 83 affordable apartments in an unused building on the Jacobi Medical Center campus in the Morris Park area of the Bronx. Fifty-eight of the apartments would be set aside for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers who would otherwise be unhoused while dealing with serious medical conditions including cancer, cirrhosis, and congestive heart failure.The remaining 25 units are set to be reserved for low-income tenants. 

The housing project had been on hold for nearly two years but the City Council held a hearing on the matter last September and approved it, despite opposition from some in the neighborhood and their City Councilmember Kristy Mamorato. Just Home was initially backed by former Mayor Eric Adams, but he withdrew his support by the time of the approval, leaving its fate murky until last week. 

“Many of us have no difficulty questioning the fairness and justice of many of our city’s past policies and those who pursued them,” said Mamdani, in a press conference on Monday. “But I seek not to dwell on questions of blame. …This initiative is a testament to the new city that we are building together. One that uplifts those among us who have struggled the most, one that is innovative and creative in its solutions, and one that does not shy away from the challenges that we face.”

The Legal Aid Society applauded Mamdani’s decision. 

“This commitment advances both health and justice by ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors have the dignity, care, and community support they deserve,” a spokesperson from The Legal Aid Society told the Polis Project via an emailed statement. 

People leaving incarceration are almost ten times more likely to face higher rates of housing instability than the general population, and approximately 14 percent of incarcerated people experience homelessness in the year before admission to prison. 

Those leaving prison with medical issues have an even harder time. Chronic diseases like HIV, substance use disorders, and diabetes are overrepresented among prison populations, according to the National Institutes of Health. Overcrowding, poor nutrition, and medical neglect – which have been found to be rampant on New York City’s Rikers Island prison complex – can also be contributing factors in poor health outcomes.

Having access to consistent housing has been shown to help people reintegrate into society after incarceration, per research done by think tank Urban Institute. Permanent supportive housing is considered the most effective intervention to prevent new criminal charges, social isolation, or unemployment. 

The Just Home site will be run by the Fortune Society, a nonprofit organization that works on housing and reentry services for formerly incarcerated people. Stanley Richards, the head of the Fortune Society, said at the press conference that Just Home will keep people connected to care and community as they recover.

“The people who live here are some of the city’s most vulnerable neighbors, New Yorkers returning from incarceration who are medically fragile, who have paid their debt to society, and who deserve the dignity of recovering and rebuilding their lives in a safe home instead of a jail cell or crowded shelter bed,” said Richards.