Last month, the Lower East Side nonprofit Rivington House announced that they would be vacating their location at 45 Rivington Street by November. Despite neighbors' fears of luxury housing replacing the non-profit HIV/AIDS clinic (and adding it to the constantly growing list of nonprofits that can't afford to stay in Manhattan), one possible scenario would have a for-profit healthcare provider purchase the building.
VillageCare has operated Rivington House for two decades, with the nonprofit buying the building in 1993 for $1.55 million and converting the former school into a clinic to provide supportive services for patients living with HIV/AIDS. However, in recent years, the neighborhood's need for the facility has declined, and keeping it open no longer made sense.
Rivington House's deed states that the building's use would be "limited in perpetuity to a not-for-profit 'residential health care facility,'" but with a hefty mortgage and "pension obligations" to contend with, VillageCare director of public policy Matthew Lesieur says that they are now hoping to change the terms of the deed to allow a for-profit business to take over.
"There are a lot of health care providers, but they are profit driven, throughout the country, who would readily grab and buy the building and maintain it as a nursing home," he said.
VillageCare has been in talks with City Council member Margaret Chin and Community Board 3's human services committee over Rivington House's future, but both have stopped short of supporting the for-profit option.
· "VillageCare Seeks to Sell Rivington House to a "For-Profit" Health Care Operator" [TLD]
· All Rivington House coverage [Curbed]