PHOENIX — Some relief is coming for seniors looking for affordable housing in Phoenix.
Workers broke ground on a new and much cheaper complex today, which will include social services.
Moving a little dirt a few inches doesn’t seem like a momentous occasion but for Reid Butler, seeing shovels in the ground for a new affordable housing project is two decades in the making.
“It’s incredibly satisfying,” he said. Butler is with one of the many development companies that has worked for years to add more affordable housing in Phoenix.
When Garfield Commons opened in 2001 there was so much demand that the waiting list has never really alleviated from the hundreds. So, with the help of local partners, state resources, and even federal government cooperation, Garfield II finally broke ground on Friday.
Representative Ruben Gallego pointed out that the average home price in Maricopa County these days, is over half a million dollars.
“What’s called a congressional request to get more money for this project, but our goal is to see this happening all over the Valley,” said Rep. Gallego.
Adjacent to the original Garfield, west of 16th Street, and just south of Loop 202, the four-story complex will have 60 units for those 55 plus and still working.
Rent will range from $450 - $900 a month. A studio or one-bedroom apartment will be available to residents who make $16-40 thousand a year.
The average rent in downtown Phoenix is over $1,800 a month, according to apartment data site, Zumper.
“Normally, the residents we have in the affordable housing community, and I’ve developed about 15 or 16, live here for a long time, because it’s such a great fit for their family budgets. Usually, we’re in a neighborhood they want to be in,” said Reid.
The complex will also have social, health, and education programming for seniors, provided by Greater Phoenix Urban League.
The $28 million project is slated to be done in late next year.
”This is not a luxury item or an extra item, this is vital,” said Reid.
