MBRE Receives Certification from NYC HPD as an Approved MWBE Affordable Housing Developer

NEW YORK - Aug. 3, 2016 - PRLog -- By invitation only, 23 Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and Non-Profit Organizations including Joan Brothers, President of Manhattan Boutique Real Estate, completed HPD's Building Capacity Certification Course for affordable housing development with the City of New York in June 2016.

Giving insight into NYC's preferred practices for affordable housing development in New York City, HPD discussed site selection, building design, financing and budgeting. The 2015-2016 workshop series was developed collaboratively between HPD and Small Business Services (SBS) with significant support from Holland & Knight, NYSAFAH, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Paul Weiss, Redstone Equity Partners, Artimus, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Enterprise Community Partners.

Joan Brothers said "I really appreciated the eight month program that included a nuts and bolts practical training.  It detailed all the components of development and provided interaction with all the key players who will work with us along the way.  It was a great group of classmates whom I hope to work with in the near future."  By strengthening and expanding the field for affordable housing developers, HPD hopes to find many new partners with whom they can work with to achieve the ambitious goals of the Mayor's 10 Year Housing New York Plan, while strengthening local businesses and neighborhoods in the process.  Referencing the "Housing New York - A Five-Borough, Ten Year Plan", the Mayor and HPD laid out a plan to build and preserve 200,000 affordable housing units for New Yorkers with a range of incomes varying from low to middle class.