And this is a city of, yes, we look for ways to say yes. This is a great day for the future of our city as we continue to lift people up and give them housing. And when I heard that for the buildings here, 50,000 people put in for the lottery, that is how high the demand is and why this is so important. It's the precursor to sleep that allows you to experience the American dream. We handed Jasmine that symbolic key to a future, not only a key to an apartment, but a key to a future. You are seeing the complete package of people coming together today. The solar panel of something that Senator Sanders has talked about over and over again. Mayor Adams: There's just a complete package here. He was just known for healthy eating and how we could allow tenants to grow their own food and participate in a healthy garden. And then when you add it with just this young, dynamic Assembly member, Assembly Member Anderson, and what he's bringing to this conversation. Now we have a new council person with her vision, adding to a preexisting vision so we can continue these projects moving forward. She's continuing to focus on what Donovan put in place. And that is what Selvena Brooks-Powers is doing.
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Because we fail when we come into office and believe we have to hit the restart button instead of continuing what was already in place. Borough President Donovan Richards for having the vision and the continuation of the vision. Mayor Adams: And the partnership and teams that are here, particularly the electeds. We've watched throughout the years that longtime residents watched themselves displaced and removed from their communities because it became too unaffordable. If you want to do something else with your time and not have to work all day and can't afford to live in your community, but it also points out as she stated that she's staying in the community that she grew up in. What does that do? That allows you to make the determination if you want to go to school at night. I celebrated, I said, "I'll pay your first two months' rent, just it's time for you to bounce." But also Jasmine stated she was working two jobs. Number one, the excitement of her mom, because I cannot tell you how excited I was when my son finally moved out and I had freedom. And two parts of that story I hope many of you didn't miss. To everyone at the community builders, all of the city agencies, and especially to Mayor Adams, I thank you for my new home. I'm excited to have the freedom to pay my rent, plan my career, and live my life here at Beach 21st Street and in the neighborhood that I grew up in. I really respect everything that everybody does for the community. Because now that I live here, I don't really have to work two jobs anymore just to have some place to live and to go enjoy my life. Affordable housing is very important and it creates opportunity. When we went to the Bronx to sign the paperwork, my mom was getting so emotional. It was really incredible because my parents were so happy. When I received a call from the community builder saying they had an apartment that I could not only afford, I was really excited. And when I heard about Beach 21st Street, I took a shot and I applied.
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For so many people like me, finding an apartment at a young age is really a challenge. I was working two jobs and it was a challenge to find safe and affordable housing in our neighborhood. As a young adult, I was previously living at home with my parents. My name is Jasmine, and I'm a proud resident of Far Rockaway. Jasmine Jenkins, Resident: Thank you, First Deputy Mayor Grillo. And before we do that, I don't know who on the staff made the decision to put us in the shade, but thank you. And Jasmine, I'm going to call you up and allow you to say a few words as I give you this symbolic key that you can hang on your wall of making it happen. Mayor Eric Adams: I think that one of the best ways to do this is to feel the excitement and energy that's coming from one of the tenants. For more on that, I'll pass this over to our mayor, Eric Adams. You all got this project done and way ahead of schedule. Thank you to all the community stakeholders, elected officials, and city agencies who work together on this project. Downtown Far Rockaway will have a new quality of life that can't be measured. From hundreds of new affordable apartments, to weather resilient infrastructure, to a new plaza for the community. As the mayor says, promises made, promises kept, and that's exactly what this project delivers on multiple levels. To see it come to this beautiful end is just a thrill. My name is Lorraine Grillo and I am first deputy mayor and I am so thrilled to be here and to see this opening because I had the privilege of being here when we broke ground. First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo: Morning.