Academy, a residential housing facility located in West Harlem. Nicknamed "The Castle" for its Gothic architecture and prominent site along the riverfront, the Academy provides 62 beds in single and shared occupancy units for homeless, formerly incarcerated individuals. Twenty-one of the beds are earmarked for emergency housing and the remaining 41represent longer-term, "phased permanent," housing for residents who stay up to a year or longer, depending on their individual needs. The Academy also boasts an industrial kitchen that provides residents with daily nutritious meals, a computer lab, a laundry room, and a community space where residents can rest, relax and interact with each other in a drug-free environment.

Academy staff members are on hand 24/7 to help residents address their personal and professional challenges. In order to assist them to transition successfully back to the community, Fortune also requires that residents participate in the wide array of services, such as education and employment services, provided at our main facility in Long Island City. Since 2002, the Academy has provided supportive housing for over 700 homeless, formerly incarcerated persons.

Both the program model and the way in which Fortune was able to establish the Castle with buy-in from the Harlem community have received significant national recognition.

With Castle Gardens, our new 11-story mixed-use, green, supportive and affordable housing community in West Harlem, The Fortune Society is pioneering an innovative approach to serving the community. For the first time in over four decades, we are providing affordable housing and essential services at the same site, creating long-term housing solutions for homeless people with histories of incarceration, as well as low-income individuals and families from West Harlem and the greater New York area. Castle Gardens has 114 apartments, and features an energy-efficient, green design that will result in both significant long-term cost savings and environmental benefits.

Residents of Castle Gardens and the adjoining Castle can access the support they need just steps from their homes. Programs at the 20,000-square-foot Service Center range from employment services and education to family counseling. The Service Center also provides a much-needed meeting space for local community groups. Other Castle Gardens features include: meeting space for Fortune staff and programs; a computer lab and library; a 725-square-foot conference and event room with state-of-the-art technological equipment; and an outdoor rooftop terrace.