The push for a controversial housing project in the Bronx aimed at low-income individuals who need to be near medical services is under fire from the Republican city council member who represents the area, POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha reports. The plan, first introduced in 2022, would convert a Jacobi Hospital building into supportive housing. Known as Just Home, the project would include 58 studio apartments for recently incarcerated homeless people, as well as 34 additional affordable studios. City Council Member Kristy Marmorato, who represents the northeast Bronx district, opposes the plan. Her position will test the Council’s typical practice of deferring to local representatives on land use matters. This type of proposal would typically win praise from many council members who have pushed for more housing in the poorest, most vulnerable New Yorkers. While the legislative body’s unofficial “member deference” policy would give Marmorato license to kill the project, the Council has rarely broken from this tradition, and it’s drawn increased scrutiny amid a worsening housing shortage. The vocal pushback from Marmorato and the Morris Park residents she represents — some of whom booed hospital officials at a community meeting on the plan in 2022 — illustrates the difficulty of finding workable sites for supportive housing even as it remains urgently needed across the city. “It is a critical project for formerly incarcerated homeless people with complex medical needs who just need a safe, permanent place to live,” said Stanley Richards, deputy CEO at The Fortune Society, the project’s developer. IN OTHER NEWS: — Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging Ron Kim is putting pressure on Public Partnerships LLC to share its transition plan for the state’s move to one fiscal intermediary for its Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program or CDPAP, in a letter to the company shared with POLITICO. Public Partnerships was awarded a state contract to serve as the main fiscal intermediary for the program. State officials and advocates for the program raised concerns about the timeline laid out for the transition, which must be completed by April 1. “Given the magnitude of this change and the documented histories of the entities involved, I request PPL to provide detailed information on how it intends to ensure a smooth and disruption-free transition,” Kim said in the letter. ON THE AGENDA: —Tuesday at 5 p.m. The NYC Health + Hospitals board of directors’ community relations committee meets. — Thursday at 10 a.m. The state Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Committee On Establishment And Project Review meets. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
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