SWBR joined state and local officials Thursday, November 14 to celebrate the grand opening of Freedom Commons, located in Downtown Syracuse. The project is a collaboration between the Syracuse Housing Authority, the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), and Norstar Development.
In addition to affordable housing, the project provides supportive housing to individuals transitioning out of the criminal justice system to help avoid recidivism. It consists of 54 units with a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and townhouses, with six mobility accessible units and three units for individuals with hearing or vision impairments. The project was also recently certified as LEED for Homes Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Freedom Commons Academy, located on the campus, offers 11 beds for emergency housing. CCA will manage the academy space, designed to help individuals learn skills and gain stability.
The project received funding through New York State Homes and Community Renewal, New York State Housing Trust Fund, OTDA Homeless Housing Assistance Programs (HHAP), KeyBank, and Key Community Development Corporation (KCDC) LIHC Equity, and NYSERDA Incentives.
SWBR provided architectural design, interior design, landscape architecture, and structural engineering for the project.