STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A newly constructed building on Hylan Boulevard has sparked curiosity from residents due to its lack of signage and frosted door.
Located at 301 Garretson Ave., the Dongan Hills building was once Virginia Funeral Chapel.
According to previous reporting by the Advance/SILive.com, the property was sold with a deed restriction stating that the building could not be used as a funeral home in the future.
The property, according to the Department of Finance, is now owned by Yonkers-based St. Joseph’s Medical Center.
When an Advance/SILive.com reporter visited the facility, employees confirmed that St. Joseph’s operates the site, which is officially called Austin House. However, they could not disclose details about the site due to HIPPA laws.
Austin House is a residential facility meant for men and women with mental health problems or who are battling addiction.
St. Joseph’s principal location on Staten Island is 1216 Bay St., Rosebank.
The Bay Street location did not return a request for comment on details of this new facility, but according to the website, the organization provides a variety of services that include medical care, addiction recovery and transitional housing.
It is unclear how many people are residing at the Austin House at this point in time.
The Advance/SILive.com reached out to the New York City Department of Health for more information on the facility, but was redirected to the New York City Department of Social Services.
At the time of publication, DSS did not return did not return a request for comment from the Advance/SILive.com.
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