A Senior's Dream Come True
Throughout his life in South Korea, Abraham Lee wore many hats—soldier, banker, steel worker, business owner and devoted spouse. When he came to the United States, he added a new one—immigrant. Starting with very little money, Abraham and his wife opened a dry cleaning business in New York. His wife passed away in 1997 and when Abraham retired a few years later, he found it difficult to make ends meet on Social Security. Abraham eventually fell in love again and married Elizabeth, his current wife. Elizabeth’s work as a music instructor helped the couple support their modest lifestyle, but when the economy collapsed, Elizabeth lost her job and financial struggles returned.
Then the couple heard about Serviam Gardens through friends who had seen an advertisement. They applied, but never thought they’d have the opportunity to move into the apartments. When their application was accepted, Abraham called it “a dream come true.”
Serviam Gardens provides 243 green, affordable apartment homes for seniors, and will include a 31,000-square-foot garden to be shared with a neighborhood school. This urban oasis was developed by Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, a longtime Enterprise partner. Enterprise invested more than $25 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity toward Serviam Gardens, along with $75,000 in grant support, $3.6 million in acquisition and predevelopment loans, design expertise from Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow Esther Yang and a collaborative partnership with desigNYC.
Abraham and Elizabeth enjoy their new green home, which has sustainable, cost-efficient features and appliances. Most importantly, Elizabeth and Abraham enjoy living among people who love their home and community as much as they do.