Broadway Housing Communities

What Broadway Housing Communities does

Broadway Housing Communities (BHC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983 in Upper Manhattan, New York, that operates an integrated supportive housing, early childhood education, and cultural arts model. BHC owns and operates seven residential properties in the Sugar Hill, Washington Heights, and West Harlem neighborhoods, providing permanent affordable housing to approximately 200 single adults, children, and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including residents with mental health conditions, HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, and addiction recovery needs. Support services embedded in the housing portfolio include medical and mental health care coordination, vocational training, job placement, substance abuse treatment, and independent living skills assistance, with roughly a quarter of tenants participating in an on-site front-desk property management system.

Alongside housing, BHC runs two early childhood education centers — the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool (capacity up to 200 children, birth to age five, in eight Adjaye-designed classrooms) and the Dorothy Day Early Childhood Center (a Head Start program serving over 50 families with three- to five-year-olds) — and a cultural arts division comprising the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling (opened 2015, serving children ages 3-8 through intergenerational artist-led programming) and the Rio I, II, and III Galleries, which provide exhibition space for local artists, musicians, writers, and storytellers.

BHC generates revenue from three primary streams: government funding and grants from New York State and City sources for supportive housing operations; donations and charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; and below-market rental income from affordable housing units. The organization operates from its headquarters at 898 St. Nicholas Avenue and an administrative office at 583 Riverside Drive. BHC is governed by an independent Board of Directors, is not backed by venture capital or private equity, and is led by CEO Miriam L. Raccah (appointed January 2025) following founder Ellen Baxter's 40-year tenure from 1983 to 2023. In 2011, BHC became New York City's 27th settlement house.

Name

Broadway Housing Communities

Legal name

Broadway Housing Communities, Inc.

Website

https://broadwayhousing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Broadway Housing Communities is a New York City nonprofit that operates permanent supportive housing, early childhood education centers, and cultural arts programs across seven residential properties, two early childhood centers, and a children's museum in Upper Manhattan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supportive Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

Keywords

• Supportive affordable housing
• Early childhood education
• Community development
• Nonprofit settlement house
• Cultural arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding & Grants: BHC receives government funding from New York State and City sources for supportive housing development and operations, including the initial $282,944 grant in 1984 that supported the purchase of their first building.
2. Donations & Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations support BHC operations and programs, with a prominent donate button on their website.
3. Rental Income: BHC generates rental income from affordable housing units across seven residential properties serving approximately 200 residents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Broadway Housing Communities provides permanent supportive housing for low-income and formerly homeless adults, children, and families across seven residential buildings in Upper Manhattan. The organization integrates affordable housing with on-site support services (medical, mental health, vocational training), two early childhood education centers (Dorothy Day Early Childhood Center and Sugar Hill Museum Preschool) serving children birth to age five, and cultural arts programming through Rio I, II, and III Galleries and the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling.

Product overview

Broadway Housing Communities operates as an integrated community development organization offering three interconnected service pillars: supportive affordable housing, early childhood education programs, and cultural arts initiatives. The housing portfolio includes seven residential properties (The Sugar Hill Project, Dorothy Day Apartments, The Rio, The Delta, and The Edgecombe) providing permanent homes for adults, children, and families. The education arm consists of two early childhood centers—the Dorothy Day Early Childhood Center and Sugar Hill Museum Preschool—serving over 250 children from birth to age five with arts-infused curricula. The cultural arts division encompasses the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling and three Rio Galleries, providing intergenerational programming in art and storytelling. These components operate as a unified supportive model rather than separate product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supportive Housing High quality permanent affordable housing serving children, families, and single adults across seven residential properties in Upper Manhattan, with integrated on-site support services including medical and mental health care, vocational training, job placement, and substance abuse treatment. Residents include those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, individuals with mental disabilities, HIV/AIDS, chronic health conditions, and those in recovery from addiction.
• Dorothy Day Early Childhood Center A full-day center-based Head Start program for three to five year-olds serving over 50 families, combining arts-based curriculum with a safe, stimulating environment as part of BHC's early childhood education pillar.
• Sugar Hill Museum Preschool An early childhood center with capacity for up to 200 children from birth to age five, featuring eight state-of-the-art light-filled classrooms designed by architect David Adjaye as part of the Sugar Hill Project development.
• Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling (SHCMAS) A museum offering transformational experiences in art and storytelling for children ages 3-8, fostering creative intelligence and cognitive skills through intergenerational dialogue with artists, as part of BHC's cultural arts pillar.
• Artist in Residence Program An annual artist residency hosting artists committed to social engagement who work directly with the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling's primary audience of 3- to 8-year-old children.
• Rio Galleries (Rio I, II, III) Three community art galleries providing exhibition space for local artists, musicians, writers, storytellers, activists, and community members, promoting the cultural capital of Upper Manhattan's Sugar Hill, Washington Heights, and West Harlem neighborhoods.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of BHC tenants remain stably housed long-term
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coalition for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1979Ellen Baxter co-founded the Coalition for the Homeless with Kim Hopper and other activists. In 1979, the group filed the landmark class action lawsuit Callahan v Carey, resulting in a 1981 consent decree establishing the legal right to emergency shelter for homeless men in NYC.
• The Plywood ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHC and its Rio Galleries partnered with The Plywood Project to create large-scale protest art installations covering the glass walls of Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling. Nine NYC-based artists were commissioned to create mixed-media murals commemorating social justice movements.
• No Longer EmptyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York City nonprofit arts organization whose co-founder Manon Slome praised the partnership as highlighting support for artists of color and mentorship for youth.
• Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Tony Hannigan at CUCS to engage public and private resources for BHC's vision of permanent supportive housing. CUCS provided support services to mentally ill adults living in single room occupancy hotels, serving as the model for BHC's approach.
• Community Service Society of New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEllen Baxter worked for the Community Service Society of New York where she and colleague Kim Hopper documented the state and scope of homelessness, producing the landmark study 'Private Lives/Public Spaces'.
• Artist-in-Residence Program ArtistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Plywood Project commissioned nine NYC-based artists including Diógenes Abreu, Virginia Ayress, Milagros Batista, Sikolo Brathwaite, Ella Perez Gabriel, Luis Leon, Zahied Tony Mohammed, Moses Ros-Suarez, and Black Rose to create artwork for BHC's galleries.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HELP USA: National nonprofit operating supportive and affordable housing with on-site services across multiple states; comparable in delivering permanent housing plus wraparound services to formerly homeless and low-income families.
• Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS): NYC nonprofit operating supportive housing and clinical services; specifically named as BHC's early model partner via Tony Hannigan, making it a close operational and philosophical peer.
• Project Renewal: NYC nonprofit providing permanent supportive housing, employment services, and healthcare to homeless and low-income adults; comparable integrated service model serving similar populations in NYC.
• Coalition for the Homeless: NYC advocacy and direct service organization co-founded by BHC founder Ellen Baxter; comparable focus on homelessness policy and services in NYC and a longstanding BHC partner.
• Breaking Ground: Major NYC supportive housing nonprofit operating thousands of units across multiple service models; directly comparable to BHC in combining permanent supportive housing with on-site social services for formerly homeless populations.
• Common Ground Community / Communilife: NYC supportive housing nonprofit operating mixed-use developments with on-site services for formerly homeless and special needs populations; comparable real estate plus services model to BHC's Sugar Hill approach.
• Jericho Project: NYC nonprofit providing supportive housing and workforce development to homeless and at-risk adults; comparable service model and prior employer of BHC's COO Doreen Straka, indicating operational overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit developer and investor in affordable housing; comparable in mission but operates at much larger scale and as a financing intermediary rather than direct service provider.
• Harlem Children's Zone: Large NYC nonprofit providing cradle-to-career education and social services in Harlem; comparable in combining education, housing stabilization, and community programming for underserved children and families in overlapping geographies.
• Habitat for Humanity New York City: Larger national-affiliated affordable housing nonprofit serving NYC; broader scale and scope than BHC but overlaps in developing affordable housing for low-income families.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/broadwayhousingorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/BroadwayHousing
• Xx.com/broadwayhousing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/broadway-housing-communities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Broadway Housing Communities