FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Abigail Wood
Director of Fund Development and Communications
323-374-3438
awood@elacc.org
LOS ANGELES, CA. Thursday, October 12, 2022 – East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) continues its commitment to building more affordable housing units on the Eastside and leading efforts to house the most vulnerable, and help address the city’s housing crisis.
On Thursday, October 13, at 10:30 AM, ELACC and its partners will celebrate and hold the grand opening of Rosa de Castilla Apartments.
ELACC’s President & CEO, Monica Mejia, will speak at the event, joined by Emilio Salas, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Development Authority; Daniel Huynh, Assistant General Manager, Los Angeles Housing Development; Monica Hernandez, Deputy Director of Communications, California Department of Housing and Community Development; Verne Brizendine, Chief Executive Officer, Aetna Better Health of California; Richard Shea, Senior Vice President, CREA; Claudia Lima, Director of Community Lending and Investing, First Citizens Bank; and Benjamin Vasquez, veteran, Rosa de Castilla resident.
The event will take place at 4208 E. Huntington Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90032
“This is a great day for ELACC. But most importantly for those that will be able to call Rosa de Castilla home. This beautiful building is the collective work of so many people who care and want to ensure the most vulnerable in our city find safe, well-maintained, supportive housing options,” said Monica Mejia, ELACC President & CEO.
Emilio Salas, Director of Los Angeles County Development Authority said, “The amount of obstacles that were overcome to complete this project were extraordinary; from construction delays to cost increases, this development has seen it all and yet, ELACC persevered and now 83 families are able to call Rosa de Castilla home. ELACC’s dedication and commitment to this development makes the LACDA proud to be their partner.”
Rosa de Castilla is an 85-unit new building, LEED Gold certified, with 49-units dedicated to permanent supportive housing for formerly Homeless Veterans, and 14 for formerly homeless individuals. The remaining units will house low-income families earning 30-50% of the area median income (AMI). Rosa de Castilla is now part of ELACC’s portfolio of over 900 units of Affordable Housing.
Amenities include 2,500 square feet of commercial space for community-serving retail, offices for service providers, a large community room, open interior courtyard, garden meditation paths, 24-hour on-site management, laundry rooms, and fitness center.
“When people have access to high-quality affordable housing, it allows them to focus on taking care of their mental and physical health,” said Verne Brizendine, CEO of Aetna Better Health of California at Aetna, a CVS Health Company. “By addressing social determinants of health at the local level, like we are here in the Los Angeles community, we’re helping to improve individual and community health outcomes.”
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About ELACC
East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) is a non-profit organization based in Boyle Heights. Our mission is to advocate for economic and social justice in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles by building grassroots leadership, developing affordable housing and neighborhood assets, and providing access to economic development opportunities for low and moderate-income families. Our vision is to see community members thrive, by creating environments that support a productive, healthy, and fulfilling life.