Since its inception in 1962, PSS established three unique and innovative senior residences in NYC. In the late 1960’s Reverend Weaving formed a collaborative relationship with PSS (Presbyterian Senior Services) and the State of New York Division of Housing and Community Renewal to build an affordable, safe, attractive, well maintained housing facility for any adult 62 years of age or older of moderate income and capable of living independently. That vision became a reality in 1973 when Fort Schuyler House opened. Ever since, it has been a place so many seniors have been proud to call “home.”
The PSS Alberta L. Alston House was named after Alberta Lois Alston, a community leader in New Jersey and at St. Albans (Queens). In 1977 Ms. Alston was the first African American female moderator of the Presbytery of New York City. Through Rev. James Grant’s aspiration in senior housing, the PSS Alberta L. Alston House was completed in the fall of 1984. The building is sponsored by PSS with financing by the Housing & Urban Development.
The PSS/WSF Grandparent Family Apartments was created to provide safe and affordable housing and support systems that enable grandparents raising grandchildren to reach their full potential and their grandchildren to gain the emotional and educational tools essential for success. In 2005, PSS partnered with the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing to open the first residence in the U.S. built specifically for grandparents raising grandchildren. The PSS/WSF Grandparent Family Apartments has become the country’s model for kinship housing. It is the only residence of its kind in the entire state of New York. Visitors from across the U.S. and around the world regularly visit in hopes of replicating this nationally recognized, innovative model.
