For medical personnel and first responders from other areas who are volunteering their time and skills to help New York City through the COVID-19 pandemic, one need is critical: a safe, temporary home. A number of hotels are housing volunteers, but another source has also offered accommodations: ABA (Alternative Business Accommodations)-Ideal, which typically provides corporate housing in the city, and now is working with the city and various organizations to provide fully-furnished apartments for volunteers.
Business travel has ceased and the company has unoccupied apartments throughout the city and in New Jersey, said Liz Levy, senior vice president of the New York City-based company.
“We normally cater to big businesses,” she said. “For example, when an executive is relocating, they don’t want to commit to a home purchase right away. They want an apartment to test a neighborhood.”
The rents at ABA Ideal’s fully-furnished apartments average $250 per day, and include all services. But when the pandemic hit the metropolitan area and international travel ceased, the company was faced with hundreds of apartments sitting empty, even as medical personnel, firefighters, police officers, EMTs and funeral directors from around the country were coming to New York to volunteer their services. On April 1, ABA contacted the Office of Emergency Management, and with its help 20 first responders living in 20 separate units at no cost to them. OEM has agreed to reimburse ABA a nominal amount for each apartment that goes to a first responder. ABA has at least another 80 apartments that are still unoccupied.
Levy also has been contacting associations and organizations that represent first responders, and utilizing social media to let them know of the availability.
“We’re shouting from the rooftops that we have apartments,” Levy said.
An extra benefit is that these mostly one-bedroom units allow the guests to practice social distancing. Each apartment houses one first responder, who can use the full kitchens to prepare their own meals. Meanwhile, ABA-Ideal provides full services to the nits. The company, in fact, is losing money compared with keeping the units empty, Levy said. Most of ABA’s landlords have been supportive of her efforts and are reducing rents, though she says one unnamed owner in New Jersey is balking at late payments. Even so, ABA will continue to serve those who are serving the public for as long as possible.
“This is the right thing to do,” she said. “That’s why I’m emailing, calling and speaking to everyone I can.”
