A groundbreaking was held recently on Baez Place, an affordable housing development at 334 East 176th St. in Claremont, The Bronx, N.Y.

Designed by ESKW Architects, based in Lower Manhattan, and developed by Community Access, the new building will include studio apartments, along with one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, New York YIMBY reported Aug. 17.

Plans call for 154 homes at Baez Place to be reserved for households at 30 to 80 percent area median income (AMI). The remaining 86 apartments will be available to those who were formerly homeless, and who also will have access to on-site support services rendered by Community Access. Free broadband internet access will be installed in each apartment at the development too.

"We're tackling housing insecurity and homelessness head-on with this project that will deliver high-quality, affordable homes to New Yorkers," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proclaimed.

"This development on Baez Place in The Bronx will uplift the entire community with more than 150 units of housing as well as wraparound services for seniors and people experiencing homelessness, the latest effort from our $25 billion housing plan to unlock opportunity and give families a safe, stable place to call home."

YIMBY noted that other planned amenity spaces at Baez Place will include a community room with a commercial kitchen, a computer room, a laundry room and a fitness center. In addition, residents will have the opportunity to take part in urban agriculture in an outdoor green space and a greenhouse located on the top floor of the building.

Available social services will include individual counseling, self-help groups, structured group activities, harm-reduction services, access to community mental health and health care providers, medication management help and employment referrals. Elderly tenants are slated to get services that include individual support from dedicated senior advocates and on-site primary care.

"New Yorkers with a serious mental illness often find themselves and their families facing housing instability as a result of their condition," Daniel W. Tietz, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). "Permanent supportive housing, like the dozens of new units Baez Place will soon offer, will provide the services these individuals and families need to remain safely housed in an independent setting. Gov. Hochul's continued effort to expand permanent supportive housing throughout our state demonstrates her resolve to ensure all New Yorkers have access to safe, affordable homes."

Supportive services and rental subsidies for those living in Baez Place will be funded through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative award administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health, according to YIMBY.

State financing for Baez Place Apartments includes $17.6 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, Federal Low-Income Tax Credits that will generate $38.7 million in equity, and $12 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The New York State OTDA is providing another $7 million through the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program.

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