There continues to be a shortage of affordable housing in the U.S., especially in the greater New York City area. For older adults, the stress of unstable housing worsens existing mental and physical conditions and can lead to homelessness.

Selfhelp isn’t afraid to think big to tackle the housing crisis. By pursuing opportunities to build more affordable housing for aging adults, we support them aging at home where most people want to be.

What We Do

Guided by the principle that housing is a human right, we believe that aging adults should never worry about being homeless. Selfhelp Realty Group increases aging New Yorkers’ access to housing by building residences that are safe, environmentally sustainable, and affordable. Our 19 buildings currently house more than 1,800 adults, also offering them a range of on-site health and social services through our Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model program.

For over 60 years, Selfhelp has been a leading nonprofit housing developer. Our purpose is simple yet profound: we strive to enable adults to age with dignity in the place they love most – their own home.

Aging on Pace

There are thousands of older New Yorkers in need of affordable housing, and we want to welcome them home to a building meant just for them. Each Selfhelp building is thoughtfully designed for older residents and offers the compassionate care every adult need to age with dignity.

Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM) brings a social worker onsite at each Selfhelp building to support aging on pace for each tenant. SHASAM gives each tenant the unique supports they need as they grow older at home. Our buildings provide the community and connection we all need to preserve health and well-being as we get older.

What is SHASAM:

Onsite culturally competent social worker
Assistance with entitlements and benefits
Educational, social, and wellness programs
Aging services technology including the Virtual Senior Center
Referrals to local Older Adult Centers, volunteer opportunities, and services such as home-delivered meals, home care, subsidized housekeeping, mental health, case management
and more

SHASAM is an evidence-based program. Read more the white paper here: Healthy Housing: An Evaluation of Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM)

Voices from Selfhelp Housing

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1,800+

Residents

Buildings

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Buildings coming soon

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Our Affordable Housing Residences

Our Story

In 1964, Selfhelp built its first building to provide apartments for Holocaust survivors with an onsite social worker to promote aging with dignity. This model of housing + services remains at our core today.

The Melamid Institute for Affordable Housing serves as the primary entity for Selfhelp’s housing development projects. Named in honor of Holocaust survivor and philanthropist Ilse Melamid, the Institute will advance affordable housing policies and funding through advocacy opportunities, sharing our best practices and experience as a provider of affordable senior housing for more than six decades.

Meet Ilse Melamid

The Selfhelp Realty Group | The Melamid Institute of Affordable Housing has been named in honor of Holocaust survivor and philanthropist Ilse Melamid. For Ilse Melamid, a Holocaust survivor, losing her home in Vienna during the Nazi era left a lifelong emotional scar and she wanted her legacy to increase access to housing for all older New Yorkers.