Rochester Announces Coming Affordable And Supportive Housing Development Dedicated To Longtime Community Advocate Edna Craven

Press release from the City of Rochester:

February 10 2021

Mayor Lovely A. Warren and Sankar Sewnauth, CEO of CDS Life Transitions, today dedicated an affordable- and supportive-housing development under construction in Northeast Rochester to longtime community advocate Edna Craven.

“Edna Craven has been committed to lifting lives in this community for more than six decades, so I can’t think of a person more deserving of this honor,” said Mayor Warren. “I want to thank Sankar Sewnauth and his team at CDS for making this incredible investment in Rochester and seeing fit to name it for one of Northeast Rochester’s most committed champions.”

“CDS Housing is especially thrilled to grace this new development with the name of a longtime city of Rochester friend and force, Edna Craven, for whom serving the community has been a centerpiece of her life,” said Mr. Sewnauth.

CDS Housing is constructing a 164-unit family housing community on the corner of Clifford and Joseph Avenues which will bear the name Edna Craven Estates. Ms. Craven has been a committed advocate for Northeast Rochester for more than 60 years, most prominently as the president of the Alphonse Bernard Street Block Club and as an active member of her church, Antioch Missionary Baptist. In 1988 she was the first woman in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

“A wife, mother, grandmother, neighbor, church congregant, protector and fighter for equity and justice, Edna Craven lived a life of service to others with humility, compassion and quiet determination. CDS Housing and the City of Rochester dedicated the Edna Craven Estates in her name in the hope that this family housing community serves as a foundation of growth and support for future generations of community leaders,” the dedication plaque states. The revitalization project will encompass seven residential buildings, a civic space, and a convenience store. The location is conducive to multi-family development with access to public transportation, highways, places of employment and commercial services nearby. Mayor Warren and Mr. Sewnauth presented the dedication plaque and Key to City to Ms. Craven in a surprise visit to her home today.

About CDS Housing

CDS Housing provides modern, affordable and supportive community-based housing for senior citizens, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, veterans and families. For more information about CDS Housing services or to apply, visit www.cdshousing.org or call 585-341-4600.

News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Justin Roj at Justin.roj@cityofrochester.gov/.

This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author’s own.