Yon Bassal with partners from Hudson Housing Capital

At the ribbon cutting for Casa Celina: Yon Bassal of Freddie Mac with Jess Worth and Michael Siroka from Hudson Housing Capital.

Freddie Mac and its partners recently gathered together in the Bronx, New York for the Casa Celina ribbon cutting. The property is named after Celina Báez Sotomayor, mother of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who grew up with her family in the NYCHA Sotomayor Houses in Soundview.

Our Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity investment helped finance this new 16-story building — a fully subsidized community for seniors with more than 200 units — adjacent to the NYCHA Sotomayor Houses in the Bronx. Hudson Housing Capital LLC is our syndicator on this deal. All units are restricted to less than 50% of area median income and 62 of the units are set aside for formerly homeless seniors.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony

Resident services for the 62 formerly homeless seniors include: assistance securing income support (social security and/or public assistance), case management and tenant support plans, legal assistance, referrals to counseling and mental health services, educational and recreational programs to reduce social isolation, on-site health screening, and arranging for escort and transportation to appointments. 

The building features a community room, a roof terrace with seating areas, a fitness center, an art studio/craft room, resident lounges on all floors, two elevators and supportive services offices. The property also includes a ground floor community facility space, which is available to residents as well as the broader community.

Photo of Bronx housing project

Adjacent building (left), NYCHA Sotomayor Houses, formerly known as the Bronxdale Houses, where Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was raised by her mother Celina Báez Sotomayor.