PHOENIX — Rent remains high and as families work to make ends meet, there’s a new housing community in South Phoenix making life a little easier for some.
Newsom Village recently opened its doors, welcoming people like Sabrae Hughes, a mother of three with another on the way.
“One point, we were actually in our car and had to live in a retail shopping area,” Hughes said. “I never thought I would be there. Never, ever thought that I would be homeless. Literally saying, I have no address.”
But the pandemic forced her and her husband to stop working and bills piled up. That’s when she reached out to UMOM New Day Centers. They were one of 60 families chosen to move into their new housing community.
“We’ve never seen wait lists like we're seeing today,” said Jackson Fonder, CEO of UMOM New Day Centers. “We’ve got sky-rocketing home prices, sky-rocketing rent prices, high inflation, and these working families can’t keep up fast enough.”
At Newsom Village, families are paying about $700-$1,100 a month for a two or three-bedroom apartment, compared to the average $1,500- $2,000 a month in Phoenix.
Hughes says her husband is back to work and she is attending school. The lower cost of living, she says, is now not only giving them a roof over their head but the ability to save for their future.
“I had to go through that experience maybe to help someone else, or tell them help is available,” she said.
Newsom Village was made possible through an investment by CVS Health, which believes a family’s access to stable housing is connected to their overall health and wellness.
This is UMOM’s 10th affordable housing community. Another one across the street from Newsom Village is expected to open this summer.
