South Boston, MA Caritas Communities, which for 33 years has been preventing homelessness by providing very low income individuals with permanent housing, has broken ground on 46 units of affordable housing for seniors.

Caritas was joined by mayor Martin Walsh and others, including officials of the Boston Housing Authority, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corp., which under the leadership of Donna Brown is a partner with Caritas on the project on land donated by the Housing Authority.

“We are proud to be a co-developer of this exciting and much needed housing effort,” said Mark Winkeller, executive director of Caritas. “This is our third partnership with the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corp. When O’Connor Way is complete, our partnership will have created 87 units of affordable housing at three South Boston locations.”

The $20.8 million project was paid for partly through the city’s Inclusionary Development Program, from contributions from new projects in the Seaport, at 150 Seaport Blvd. and Pier 4. It is financed by low-income tax credits, MassDevelopment, Rockland Trust Corp., and TD Bank.

“This is a great day for the people of South Boston,” said mayor Walsh. “As the city grows, it’s critically important that our older adults and longtime residents have the chance to stay and thrive in the communities where they have lived for much of their lives. This development will secure that opportunity for dozens of our residents.”