Colliers (NASDAQ and TSX: CIGI), the leading global commercial real estate services firm, announces it has secured an 18-year lease for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC), at 307 West 38th Street in Manhattan. Colliers Managing Director David Kaplansky represented the tenant in the transaction.
NAMI-NYC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering life-changing support, education, and advocacy to families and individuals affected by mental illness for over 40 years. NAMI-NYC provides classes, support groups, resources and a Helpline in English, Spanish and 180 other languages, all free of charge, to 30,000 people annually. The organization is moving from its 4,800-square-foot location at 505 8th Avenue to a 14,000-square-foot space on the 8th floor of the building, tripling its footprint. NAMI-NYC will continue online offerings launched during the pandemic, and the new space will also enable NAMI-NYC to resume and expand its in-person services.
“We are thrilled to bring our community back together again following a period of isolation and high-stress that has severely impacted one in five New Yorkers and the other four who are family and friends. Mental health challenges can affect anybody regardless of age, race, gender, education level or financial situation,” said Matt Kudish, Executive Director of NAMI-NYC. “This space will allow us to resume in-person programming this year and offer the in-depth connection and community that so many people have been missing. We’re also looking forward to being in the same space and partnering with GMHC in the future.”
“Since GMHC was founded 40 years ago, providing mental health services has been an essential part of our work with people who are living with and affected by HIV and AIDS,” said Kishani C. Moreno, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of GMHC. “We are delighted that NAMI-NYC, our longstanding partner in mental health programming, will be our neighbor. This move is particularly important to our ongoing partnership working with communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
307 West 38th Street is a 21-story, 300,000 square-foot office building that features a renovated lobby, five passenger elevators, a freight elevator with direct access through a loading dock on 39th Street and 24/7 access. The space was formerly leased by GMHC, a nonprofit social services organization working to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected. It is currently undergoing renovations to create a large flex space that can be used for both public assemblies and for smaller gatherings and activities. The renovation will also include the addition of audio/visual equipment to support NAMI-NYC’s virtual programs and services.
“We were pleased that we were able to find NAMI-NYC exactly what they wanted: triple the amount of square-footage in a space that was completely built-out, furnished and wired,” said Kaplansky. “This space will enable the organization to commit even more resources to their incredible work helping families and individuals affected by mental illness build better lives.”
The building is ideally situated between Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and in close proximity to Times Square. This central location of NAMI-NYC’s new offices is critical, as the group provides services to individuals and families from all across New York City.
