Mazzoni Center announced this week its largest-ever one-time gift.
The facility has been awarded $1.5 million through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The funding will support the agency’s purchase of a building at Broad and Bainbridge streets where it plans to consolidate all of its services next summer.
“We are thankful to Gov. Wolf for his support of this important project, and for understanding the impact it will have in addressing critical health disparities and establishing a first-class home for LGBTQ health and well-being in the heart of Philadelphia,” Mazzoni CEO Nurit Shein said in a statement.
Shein also thanked state Sen. Larry Farnese for championing the application for the RACP funding in the Senate and state Rep. Brian Sims for supporting the grant request and serving as the agency’s liaison in the House.
The organization announced in early 2015 that it would move its medical practice, case-management and other services from the Gayborhood into one shared space, at 1328-38 Bainbridge St.; the Washington West Project will remain in the Gayborhood.
Shein told PGN this week that Mazzoni submitted the selected RACP application in May 2015.
Mazzoni recently undertook a major-gifts campaign to support the move; the RACP grant brings its major-gifts total to $3.8 million, of a goal of $6 million by 2022.
Shein said the purchase of the building and renovations to it are expected to cost about $14 million.
“The more money we raise, the less of a mortgage we will need to have when we buy the building,” she said. “And that’s the more money we will be able to put into services. We’re hoping that if we raise [the goal], we will reduce our cost by close to $100,000 in the first year. Had we stayed in the rental as opposed to moving into the building we would have paid $100,000 more for rent than what we would pay for mortgage.”
That cost savings is especially important now, as the future of health care in the country is uncertain with the incoming presidential administration, Shein said.
“If you look at the political climate today and if indeed the Affordable Care Act will be gutted in some way we will need to provide services to more people who will be without insurance. So $100,000 for medical will go a long way,” Shein said. “It’s so important for us to have our own building, all under one roof, where we can provide services in a climate where we don’t know what the health care will look like for our vulnerable populations.”
The renovations to the building are expected to be completed in May. Shein said the organization will then have three months to settle in the building and she expects the sale to be finalized by the end of the summer.
The new headquarters previously housed the state welfare office but has been vacant for several years.