About a hundred guests gathered June 11 at 1001 Thieriot Ave. to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of an all-electric affordable housing residence for seniors called Casa Celina, named for Celina Báez, the mother of Supreme Court Justice and Bronx native Sonia Sotomayor. The justice grew up next door in the NYCHA building formerly called Bronxdale Houses that now bears her name.
“If there’s anything we do in this world, we have to ensure that we have our seniors’ backs,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who said Casa Celina is a place where seniors can live “with dignity and joy.”
The state’s 65-plus population is “booming” at 3.5 million — equal to the population of 21 states, according to a 2023 report by the Center for an Urban Future. And Bronx County has the state’s highest rates of poverty among seniors.
Casa Celina will get some of the city’s poorest seniors into permanent housing. Of the 204 units, 62 (30%) are set aside for those coming from homeless shelters, and the building as a whole is designated for extremely low- to low-income residents. To qualify, the head of household must be 62 or older and earn income below the limit of 50% Area Median Income (AMI).
But the building’s light-filled, open design stems from the idea that affordable housing should be both “beautiful and inclusive,” architect Fernando Villa told the crowd.
The cool pale gray brick tower was built around interaction and community-building. Each floor has a lounge area, and other shared spaces include a fitness room, laundry room and a forthcoming library donated by Sotomayor following her April visit to the site.
Residents also have an amazing view from the 16th floor rooftop terrace, which could easily pass for a trendy Manhattan bar. The spacious terrace, set up with tables and chairs, leafy plants and a large plot of soft faux grass, had guests stunned.
Unsurprisingly, the demand for the residence was sky-high. A whopping 50,000 people entered the housing lottery for Casa Celina, according to Donald Manning, executive director of real estate and management for JASA Housing, which served as one of the project developers and is now its building manager. JASA expects the building to be fully leased by September or October.
“We’re proud to be a part of this,” Manning said — but he also said the high demand for Casa Celina underscores the desperate need for more options like it throughout the city.
“These units will transform people’s lives,” said Adolfo Carrión Jr., commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). But he said that even with billions invested in affordable housing for the next decade, “It’s still not enough.”
‘Independent but not alone’
Seniors living at Casa Celina can find support services right in the building, which is especially critical for those coming from homeless shelters.
Residents and community members can take advantage of on-site services run by JASA East Bronx Case Management Program. The building houses a ground-floor community center to provide health and wellness support to residents and neighbors. Resident activities such as chair yoga, bingo and shopping outings are also planned.
In the new residence, “everything from the doorknobs to the showers has been carefully placed,” with seniors’ needs in mind, said Kathryn Haslanger, CEO of JASA. The community-centric design enables residents to be “independent but not alone,” said Haslanger.
Elected officials in the crowd, who supported the project since its inception in 2017, said seniors truly need and deserve the sense of community they find at Casa Celina.
Council Member and Majority Leader Amanda Farías, who grew up in Soundview, described caring for her grandparents, who lived at home and had difficulty getting around the community. They would likely have thrived if more places like Casa Celina existed during their time, she said.
Farías called the building “the physical embodiment of aging in place with dignity” — and joked while on a tour, “When can I move in?”
Moved to tears
In creating more housing, Manning said nonprofit and for-profit partnerships — like those that made Casa Celina possible — should be a larger part of the city’s solution.
“The right organizations make for good teams,” he said.
Casa Celina means much more to residents than just a place to live, according to Dahiana Recio, JASA’s director of housing risk management.
She told the Bronx Times that when seniors come to tour the apartments, they are often moved to tears. Even though some are accustomed to living in larger apartments, the sense of community and support is invaluable.
“It’s not just an apartment and you’re on your own,” said Recio.
This story was updated on June 12 at 9:00 a.m. to correct Haslanger’s title.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
