By JASMINE GOMEZ 

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s latest effort to maintain affordable housing in the Bronx under his citywide Housing New York Plan includes a 30-year affordable rent agreement for four Bronx buildings.

De Blasio, flanked by elected officials and Department of Housing Preservation and Development commissioner Vicki Been, stopped by 2432 University Ave. on April 14 to assess one of the buildings undergoing repairs, a result of a $6.4 million city investment that will go towards improving conditions at these aging buildings. Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, owners of multiple buildings in the northwest Bronx, have taken ownership of the building thanks to financing from city and state agencies, along with bank institutions.

Before meeting with reporters, de Blasio met with a Dominican family of immigrants inside the rundown building. He spoke with a woman who went by Shaydee, along with her mother, and sister, all tenants in the nearly 100-year-old building that showed signs of disrepair.

“This is a building that has been slowly but surely falling apart, despite the fact that there are hardworking New Yorkers in it. Badly needed repairs,” said de Blasio. “The doors were broken. It was rodent-infested. The plumbing was faulty. The electrical was faulty. The roof was falling. So many problems and the families hung on and did the best they could under very adverse circumstances.”

Some of the 106 apartments located in these buildings will receive new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, or Energy Star appliances, while repairs and upgrades will be made to the masonry, electrical and plumbing systems, lobbies and common spaces, windows, and doors of the buildings.

The Mayor’s Housing Plan New York includes lofty steps to preserve and build 200,000 affordable rental units in all five boroughs over the next decade, in order to assist low-middle income New York City residents. Last year, the city exceeded first year projections by preserving 11,185 units and securing financing to build 6,191 new apartments, 1,300 more affordable units than what was originally predicted. Incentives for building owners to take part in these city and state programs include the provision of tax-exempt bonds and low-income taxing credits.

De Blasio backed his claims of affordability under his plan by explaining that large families of four, five, or six in a three-bedroom apartment would pay no more than $1,247, rent comparatively low to other three bedroom apartments in the city. Rent payments will be catered to the average median income of its buildings’ residents.

“That’s actually affordable for hardworking, struggling people,” said de Blasio. “That’s what’s going to happen here.”