HOPE Forwards Our Mission To Create Affordable Housing in Long Beach Thanks to Strong Community Partnerships
We welcomed Councilwoman Kerr to our newly renovated home in her district in Long Beach.
Long Beach District 5’s Councilwoman Kerr meets with HOPE Staff members: Charles Decuir (CFO), Shay Alexander (Asset Manager), and Joel Bautista (Jr. Asset Manager) outside of the HOPE home on Clark Avenue.
by Lauren Quijano-Gin
HOPE continues to forward our mission in Long Beach thanks to our strong community partnerships. We are proud that Councilwoman Kerr visited our newly renovated home located in her district on Clark Avenue in Long Beach at District 5 (which includes neighborhoods of Plaza East and West, Lakewood Village, Bixby Knolls south of San Antonio Drive, California Heights, and Los Cerritos.) This home on Clark Avenue is a beautifully renovated and accessible 7-unit building featuring one-bedroom units and private bathrooms with an onsite laundry near Los Altos Park and a local golf course.
Julio, a HOPE resident living in the Clark Avenue home, was thrilled to offer his apartment for the Councilwoman’s important visit. He gave a tour of his home and shared stories of his life leading up to him moving into a HOPE home. Reflecting on her visit, Councilwoman Kerr said, “I was honored to visit the HOPE Clark Property in Long Beach’s Fifth District. This home gives independence, choice, and dignity by providing affordable housing options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are extremely low-income and very low-income (below 30%-50% of the area median income). I met with an adult who resides there and he expresses his gratitude to live there, in our community. I am proud to have this development in our district, providing much-needed housing for our community!”
HOPE housing is affordable because it offers affordable rents to Long Beach residents like Julio, who are categorized in the very low-income category, earning below 50% of the area median income (AMI) – which is $41,700 for a household of one person according to the Housing Authority of Long Beach. HOPE residents generally pay around $300 per month on rent, equating to no more than 30% of their income.
Creating affordable housing options is only possible thanks to our long-standing partnerships with cities like Long Beach. For over a decade, the City of Long Beach has provided over $5 million in Community Housing Development Organizations’ (CHDO) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) loans to make this housing a reality. In fact, HOPE is the only affordable housing organization in District 5 working to serve the I/DD population in the South Bay.
“I was honored to visit the HOPE Clark Property in Long Beach’s Fifth District. This home gives independence, choice, and dignity by providing affordable housing options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are extremely low-income and very low-income (below 30%-50% of the area median income). I met with an adult who resides there and he expresses his gratitude to live there, in our community. I am proud to have this development in our district, providing much-needed housing for our community!”
Julio loves to cook in his kitchen in his Long Beach home.
At HOPE, we believe in creating inclusive communities for people with I/DD, a population that historically has had the least access to affordable housing in safe communities. HOPE selects locations for our homes that are in safe, accessible neighborhoods. We focus on small-scale housing that allows us to acquire existing single-family residences and small multifamily housing. HOPE is thoughtful about making sure the properties we purchase are located in safe areas with adequate public transportation, services, and amenities nearby, where our residents can easily access job centers and healthcare services. We also make efforts to avoid areas of high pollution.
This success is a testament to HOPE’s long-standing relationship with the City of Long Beach. Affordable housing expert Charles DeCuir, HOPE’s Chief Financial Officer, emphasizes the importance of our city partnerships, “It was great meeting with Councilwoman Kerr, introducing her to our resident Julio, and touring our newly renovated property in Long Beach. The City of Long Beach has been our strongest city partner and has enabled us to move our mission forward, adding 12 affordable housing units in Long Beach. We look forward to working with our city leaders as we explore more innovative ways to create affordable housing in Long Beach.”
We thank Councilmember Kerr and her team for their visit and invite all City partners to join us in the commitment to preserving affordable housing for this incredible community. Indeed, the need for affordable housing is persistent in Long Beach. We are grateful to serve as an expert in providing affordable housing for people with I/DD in this growing city.
HOPE currently operates 42 locations, providing 84 units to 171 Long Beach residents and making up for 55% of our entire housing portfolio (153 housing units in total).
To learn more about how you can create affordable housing for people with I/DD in your city, visit us at http://www.hope-inc.net/initiatives.