Our mission is to improve communities and better people’s lives through collaboration, innovation, and sustainability.
Foxy is a family-owned business founded in 2005 that has become a leader in senior and affordable housing development.
Led by a father and son team with complementary skills, Shelly and Jeff Fox treat everyone like family, crediting strong partnerships with the lion’s share of their success.
They work with many of the same partners project after project—experts who have helped them deliver over 1,300 affordable and supportive housing units.
Since 2018, Foxy has become a leader in senior housing, executing over 600 units, with another 700+ units in its immediate pipeline. LiveOn NY recently granted Foxy the Senior Housing Impact Award, recognizing its work supporting low-income senior communities.
Jeff and Shelly’s expertise in building operations, construction, and regulatory compliance is enhanced by their nearly 20-year run as a property management firm, which was an extension of their development work.
In 2022, they began outsourcing the property management role to focus exclusively on development, but everything they learned as property managers made them infinitely better developers.
Property management taught them the challenges that owners, building managers, and residents face. As developers, they know how to mitigate problems before they occur—turning their projects into livable spaces that allow residents to enjoy healthy, meaningful lives.
Meet the Team
Jeff Fox
PRINCIPAL
Jeff is a licensed New York State attorney with a degree from Georgetown Law and 15 years of experience as a real estate developer and operator of affordable housing.
Jeff has worn several hats at Foxy over the years, running the management company through 2022 and leading to the successful development of over $325 million of aggregate development. He has also created a pipeline of $500 million in development.
A recognized authority on senior housing, Jeff is frequently invited to speak on industry panels and share his insight on government roundtables. He sits on the board of directors for LiveOn NY, Project FIND, and the Queens Jewish Community Council.
PRINCIPAL
Shelly Fox
Shelly is a Certified Public Accountant with over 45 years of experience in real estate development, construction, and property management. He developed, preserved, and built nearly 2,000 units of housing throughout his career—the majority of which were publicly funded affordable housing units.
Shelly is well-known throughout the industry as an honorable and resourceful man with a knack for creative problem-solving and conflict resolution. These skills proved incredibly valuable in a field where effective collaboration can make or break any project.
Shelly recently joined the board of Project FIND, and he was recently honored as the Developer of the Year by NAICA, Inc.
Joanna Choinska
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
Joanna joined the Foxy team in 2020. Before joining the team, she served as an Underwriter at NYS HCR, where she closed affordable multi-family housing transactions with over $360 million aggregate total development costs, producing 870 units.
Joanna holds a B.S. in Finance from Baruch College and an MBA from Montclair State University.
DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Nelson Caban
Nelson has been a member of the Foxy family since 2009, when he came on as a building superintendent. Nelson has grown with the company into his current role, where he is responsible for the oversight and maintenance of all physical assets and building-wide systems as well as serving a critical role in the construction and onboarding of newly-developed projects.
Prior to joining Foxy, Nelson was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and also spent over a decade working under a licensed plumber. Nelson holds a multitude of FDNY and other certifications.
He also sports a mean handlebar mustache!
Linda LaBarbera
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Linda is a Certified Public Accountant with nearly 25 years’ of experience in accounting and auditing in commercial and residential real estate including low-income housing. Linda worked with Foxy as their outside accountant between 2009 through 2013 before joining our team in 2019. She is responsible for oversight of financial reporting and regulatory compliance.
Foxy has worked with a variety of public and private financing partners, non-profit partners, and for-profit partners to complete our projects.
Key gov’t partners include:
➝ NYC Dept of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD)
➝ NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC)
➝ NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)
➝ NYS Housing Finance Agency (HFA)
➝ NYS Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)
➝ NYS Dept of Health (DOH)
➝ NYS Homeless Housing Assistance Corporation (HHAC)
Non-profit partners include:
➝ RiverSpring Living (Hebrew Home for the Aged)
➝ HANAC, Inc.
➝ Selfhelp Realty Group
➝ Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities Inc.
➝ Barrier Free Living Inc.
➝ NAICA, Inc.