1 week Ago
MODESTO, Calif. — Modesto has secured the final funding it needed to move forward with a mixed-use affordable housing project. It will be located right in downtown Modesto.
A plot of grass sitting on 7th and J streets in downtown Modesto will soon turn into much more. Within the fenced property there will be a 79-unit, six-story apartment building. Sue Zwahlen, the mayor of Modesto, said that lack of housing in the city and nationwide is a crisis.
The project will also offer families a free program called Head Start , which can help parents prepare their child for school. "It is for people that may struggle with finances, [so] they can have a very affordable, preschool program for their children," Zwahlen said. Jaimie Martinez lives in Modesto.
She said projects like this give people hope. "It's very difficult. It's very expensive, actually.
It's hard to do by yourself. I myself am trying to get in to a spot by myself and it's challenging because [rent is] quite higher than it used to be," Martinez said. To qualify, a family's household income can not exceed 80 percent of the areas median income.
The rent for each unit will cater to what each person can afford. "Families in Modesto are overburdened by the amount that they pay on rent and so to have more affordable housing options where they're only paying 30% of what their overall income is on rent, ensures that they have enough money available for those other expenses that they'll need to pay monthly," said Jessica Hill, the City of Modesto's director of community and economic development. The city is planning for construction to begin in fall of 2025.
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