BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, likes to say that her congregation is always on the lookout for ways they can help others.
The sisters sponsor language classes and job training for immigrants, operate a nursery school, and collaborate with local farmers to grow vegetables to feed the hungry, among other services.
“Our mission is really love of God and love of the dear neighbor, without distinction,” Sister Tesa said. “And it means to pay attention to the needs of the time, to pay attention to the people in our neighborhood and beyond, and see what they’re saying, what their needs are, and how can we use our resources and our charism and reach out to them and provide for those needs.”
Recognizing the need for housing among the poor and marginalized, the sisters have initiated a new project. The congregation is partnering with Concern Housing, a non-profit that builds and manages supportive housing for military veterans, to provide housing on their Brentwood campus.
Sister Tesa said the partnership is “a match made in heaven.”
The new housing, to be called Joseph’s Village, will be located in the former site of the Academy of St. Joseph, a girls’ school that consisted of two buildings — one built in 1903 and the other constructed in 1913. The academy closed in 2009.
“No one wants to see these buildings deteriorate. No one wants to see them knocked down,” said Ralph Fasano, executive director of Concern Housing. “And we will bring them back to their original glory, and maybe even a little bit better.”
Joseph’s Village will feature 176 units, comprising 140 studio apartments, 32 one-bedroom dwellings, and four two-bedroom units.
Half of the units will be affordable housing — something that is much needed on Long Island, Fasano said. “One-bedroom apartments [on Long Island] now go for about $2,600 a month, and we can rent apartments for about $1,200,” he explained.
The other half of the units will be supportive housing for veterans with behavioral health issues and folks with disabilities. The rent for the supportive housing units will average $250 a month, Fasano said. Under supportive housing, residents will have access to social workers, mental health counseling, and other services.
The amenities for all residents will include a community room, exercise facility, computer room/library, and a laundry room.
Concern Housing, which runs housing at 250 New York sites, is still seeking funding for the $150 million Brentwood project, Fasano said. The organization hopes to break ground next year and open Joseph’s Village in 2028.
The Islip Town Board, which oversees the area, recently voted to approve a zoning change to allow the project to proceed. The zoning change was needed because the site operated as a school for decades and would now be used for housing.
Many of the Sisters of St. Joseph attended the board meeting and let out a big cheer when the vote took place, Sister Tesa said.
Technically, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood are selling the buildings to Concern Housing, and the non-profit will have complete responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Joseph’s Village. But Sister Tesa said that since the housing will be located on their 212-acre campus, the sisters expect to be involved with the residents and vice versa.
For example, residents will be welcome to attend Masses at the sisters’ chapel and volunteer at any of the programs the sisters run.
Concern Housing “will be the owners, but they will become part of the fabric of our community here on the Brentwood property,” Sister Tesa said.
