CHN Housing Partners, EDEN, Partners and Community Members Celebrate the Groundbreaking of Emerald Senior

On July 10, 2025, CHN Housing Partners (CHN) and Emerald Development and Economic Network (EDEN) gathered with community leaders, funders, and residents to celebrate the groundbreaking of Emerald Senior, a 62-unit supportive housing development for seniors with disabilities and senior veterans in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.

“This development is special because we’re supporting seniors and senior veterans to remain in housing at a time when rising costs are making it harder and harder for people to stay in their homes. At the same time, this site represents the redevelopment of our beautiful city and will help fuel additional investments,” said Kevin Nowak, president and CEO of CHN.

Emerald Senior is intentionally designed to offer holistic support to residents. On-site services provided by the Benjamin Rose Institute and the Veterans Administration will include trauma recovery, case management, healthcare, life skills training and educational linkages. The building itself was conceived using trauma-informed design, a concept where architecture and design “become part of the healing process for those experiencing challenges,” says Brian Grambort, architect at Hiti, DiFrancesco + Siebold, Inc.

The design of Emerald Senior is grounded in four basic principles of trauma-informed care. It empowers individuals through choice, creates an environment of safety and trust, fosters community support and collaboration and incorporates beauty and joy into the spaces residents inhabit.

“As such, the building fosters healing and care not only through residents’ interactions with staff and on-site service providers, but also through the built environment itself, the very space they occupy,” said Grambort.

EDEN’s Chief Operating Officer Emma Petrie Barcelona remarked on the development’s role in the neighborhood, “This project is truly a labor of passion. It’s been a long time coming and it will fill a critical gap in our community.” It will offer “stability, dignity and care” to older adults in crisis and in need of safe, affordable housing.

Councilman Kevin Conwell summarized the significant impact of Emerald Senior on his own neighborhood in three words: “Retail follows rooftops.” This reflection emphasizes the catalytic effect that affordable housing developments have on neighborhoods.

Emerald Senior Apartments will revitalize long-vacant land in the City of Cleveland. The site was chosen for its proximity to RTA bus routes and amenities such as the VA Main Campus, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic, the Langston Hughes Branch of the Cleveland Public Library and ample retail stores.

Funders for Emerald Senior include the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Home Depot Foundation, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. Rental subsidies will be provided by the Veterans Administration and the Cuyahoga County Continuum of Care.

Emerald Senior joins the Housing First Coalition’s portfolio, which has created over 782 homes across 13 buildings and contributed to an 82% drop in homelessness since 2006.

Construction is expected to be completed in Fall 2026, with leasing beginning shortly after. The building is anticipated to be fully leased by early 2027.