The future of federal support for affordable housing is more uncertain than ever. Yet Trinity Financial VP of development Eva Erlich told us she's optimistic about the outlook for affordable housing in Boston. It's always been tough to get affordable deals done, but they will get done.

Recently Trinity Financial, along with the Boston Housing Authority and East Boston Community Development Corp, broke ground on Phase 1 of Orient Heights in East Boston (Eva's furthest on the left). “The multi-phased project will help deliver the type of housing the East Boston community needs: affordable, energy efficient, accessible and integrated with the rest of the East Boston community," she said.

Phase 1 will mean the demolition of four buildings containing 90 dwelling units and the central boiler plant. They'll be replaced with new construction that includes 120 affordable housing units in a series of clustered townhouses and a mid-rise building along Waldemar Avenue, the northern section of the 15-acre Orient Heights site.

"Phase 1 will also result in updates and improved housing for the residents in the initial 90 units," Eva said. "We’re looking forward to working with our partners to create a development that the entire community can benefit from.”

Orient Heights is comprised of 331 units of state-funded public housing terraced into a steep hillside built in 1951 and in great need of maintenance and modernization. The collective phasing effort will yield 373 units of housing, 331 of which will be replacement units.