Our present facilities at 340
and 342 Willis Avenue have proven to be grossly insufficient
to accommodate the services and programs we currently administer.
Our multi-pronged approach has grown to fill and then overflow
our physical capacity. Confidentiality, critical for counseling,
is compromised; program activities are limited by space; scheduling
conflicts abound; access, at times, must be denied. Residential
services and After
School Program activities infringe on each other as neither
has sufficient space of its own. Nor does staff have adequate
office space to perform necessary duties.
The new planned space will allow for more effective programming
in safer and more discreet spaces. There will be separate offices
for counseling and meetings with parents and children. Academic
work will take place in quiet space with children of different
ages able to work in separate areas. Dance classes will take
place in our Multi-Purpose Room on a floor designed to withstand
the impact; photography and carpentry classes will be held on
site, eliminating the need for auxiliary sites and additional
overhead through rent; computers will be housed in a functional,
networked lab; music and arts classes will have dedicated space
designed specifically for those purposes with necessary storage
and outfitting; a new fire alarm and sprinkler system will reinforce
safe space; secure, alarmed doorways will provide added safety
in a neighborhood that still suffers from exceptionally high
violent crime rates; and a garden roof will not only provide
respite from the urban environment but also will offer a working
example of environmental preservation, energy conservation, and
ecological appreciation.
The present buildings are approximately 9,000 square feet
and when the whole project is completed, there will be over
20,000 square feet. 1100
Architect has designed a very reasonable, low budget,
yet attractive facility that will serve the diverse population
extremely well. It will retain the same modest, welcoming, and
safe look and feel of the current brownstones.
With a very generous early capital gift, Abraham
House moved
quickly to purchase the brownstone at 344 Willis Avenue,
immediately adjacent to the two we occupy. Recently, we were
able to purchase an adjacent empty lot, and we expect to
successfully complete negotiations for the lot next to that
one. The dilapidated third brownstone will be demolished
and a new four story addition will be built to form a unified,
functional whole. The new section will be built while programs
continue to operate in the brownstones during the nine-month
construction phase.
Abraham House seeks to provide its residents and clients with
a home, with none of the institutional look and feel of a correctional
facility. The ambiance of simplicity is one that has always permeated Abraham House. It is an atmosphere that will pervade the
new structure as well.
THE ADVANTAGES OF A NEW FACILITY 
After School Program
The After School Program and
counseling services will remain on a greatly redesigned and
upgraded ground floor, where the offices of both our Social
Worker and our After School Program Director will be housed.
Additional After School programming space is assigned to the second
floor and will provide areas for arts and crafts, music lessons, and
tutoring. The completed facility will also include: the Community
Center, the Multi-purpose Room, a Reception Lounge, the Administrative
offices, and the Residents' Living Area.
Teen Initiative
By ensuring the adolescents
space of their own, apart from the younger children, this new
program will be able to deliver tutoring, academic seminars,
carpentry/house maintenance/jobs skills workshops, mentoring,
and counseling.
Early Childhood Center
Abraham
House sees a pressing need to offer programming for infant through
pre-K children and their parents to complement existing programs.
Family & Pastoral Center
Weekend
services are the spiritual center of Abraham House and the communal
foundation lies in the meals prepared, served and taken in the
Community Center each week. The ground floor will therefore feature
a state-of-the-art kitchen strategically located adjacent to
the Dining Area, near the Food Pantry, and with access to the
basement. The Food Pantry receiving and distribution room will
have separate access to the street, making our weekly deliveries
of foodstuffs a more efficient operation.
The second floor will include a Multi-purpose Space, with seating
for up to 200 people. This room will also have an alcove for
accommodation and display of an altar and ample storage space
for 200-plus chairs. The second floor will provide much-needed
office space for our Executive, Deputy, and Assistant Directors,
as well as a Development Office. The top
floor will have the
Sisters' and Father's residences, rooms for guests and visiting
Sisters, and some flexible space.
Residential Alternative to Incarceration
The
third floor will be for Residents' rooms, common space where
they can read, watch television, and participate in group meetings
for counseling and support. Separate and sufficiently private
quarters for the men will accommodate their social and personal
needs.
Non-residential Alternative to Incarceration
Sessions
by staff with women and men assigned by the courts to Abraham
House will be confidential and regularly scheduled.
TRANSFORMING LIVES: A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
The Board of Abraham House has launched a capital campaign to
raise the funds to finance this vital project. 100% of the members
of the board have contributed to the campaign.
The total cost for the project will be $3,500,000. The most
significant donation is from two donors, Marie-Josee and Henry
Kravis and Kimberly and James Palotta, who bid on Abraham
House at the annual Robin Hood Benefit for a total of $1,000,000.
We are grateful to these donors and to Robin Hood for its
early planning grants and unfailing support of the mission.
This effort is ambitious, as Abraham House has never sought
this level of funding and does not have a large constituent
base. Foundation support will be very important to the success
of the effort.
PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING 
Over the last eleven years, Abraham
House has demonstrated
remarkable success where most programs have failed. Ever year
thousands of offenders, former offenders and their families,
especially their children, find at Abraham House a place of
peace – for
healing and for renewing their faith in themselves and their
futures.
Our goal is to serve these families and new program participants
well, in the depth they need, for as long as necessary. All
we seek is space sufficient to achieve this mission.
Now that more than half of the capital funding is in hand, Abraham
House is reaching out to those who care about the most troubled
and vulnerable among us and who understand the redemptive power
of a strong and loving community.
Together, with your contribution to our bricks and mortar
campaign, we can change the lives of these needy human beings
and society at large – changes that will last through future
generations.
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
There are many possibilities in our design to honor a person
or a family. Abraham House would be pleased to name a building
or a room in an individual's honor. Programs, equipment,
and furniture can also be dedicated. A list of opportunities
is available from the Development Office ( development@abrahamhouse.org ).
HOW TO MAKE A GIFT
Pledges over three years are encouraged so that you can be as
generous as possible. A gift may be paid annually, bi-annually
or quarterly. The Development Office will send reminders.
Cash: Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 305
, Mott Haven Station, Bronx , NY 10454 , payable to Abraham House
Capital Campaign. Secure donations can be made online by clicking here .
(Please be sure to designate the funds for the Capital Campaign)
Matching Gifts: Some companies double or triple
their employees' contributions to non-profit organizations. You
can obtain the appropriate forms from you employer and forward
them to Abraham House with your gift. You will receive credit
for both the original sum and the amount of the match, and the
matching gift company will be listed as a donor to the campaign.
Securities: Appreciated securities may offer
significant tax advantages to the donor and are simple to arrange.
For information on how to arrange the transfer of stock, please
contact the Development Office at (718) 292-9321 or development@abrahamhouse.org .
