• Rialto Celebrates Third Senior Housing Complex
• East LA School Receive 'Fun' Math Tool
• White Memorial Raises Funds for the Future
• 29th Annual Scholarship Awards Gala
• Apartment offers better life for seniors
• Dr. David C. Lizárraga Receives Presidential Appointment
• Citi Mentors TELACU Scholars Through College
• Op Ed on Proposed AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
• Local builders upset over Gov. Brown's budget plans
• 28th Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner
• Pomona Community Celebrates Development of New Senior Housing Complex
• Borrego Appointed to AAHSA Board
• Local Veteran Honored with National Scholarship Award
• Affordable Housing Offered to Glendora Residents
• TELACU Scholars Advance Toward Their Dreams
• New Era Calls for New Generations of Educated Leaders
• TELACU Youth Services Director Leaves Generations of East LA Teens with Legacy of Empowerment
• TELACU Christmas Collection, Vol. 1
• Toyota Provides Scholarships to Young People
• TELACU Education Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of Building the Dream
• TELACU Partners with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and The California Endowment to Address Shortage of Pediatric Nurses
• Citi and the Citi Foundation Invest in a New Generation of Business Professionals
• Toyota Provides Students with Opportunities to Build a Better World
• David C. Lizárraga Engages with President Bush and Congress to Advocate for Hispanic Business
• Hispanic Outreach Taskforce Honors Eastside Leader David C. Lizárraga
• David C. Lizárraga: Working with the System to Help Others
• David C. Lizárraga Receives Latino Leaders Magazine’s MAESTRO Award
• TELACU Builds New Gyms for Saddleback Valley Unified School District
• TELACU Opens Montecito Villas in Pomona

Affordable Housing Offered to Glendora Residents

San Gabriel Valley Tribune
When she was first forced to leave Glendora after losing her home a few years ago, Stephanie always wanted to return.

Then, about a year ago, she checked with the city about affordable housing.

In December, Stephanie and her children got a special Christmas gift. They would be able to move out of a neighborhood in Covina they didn't like and go back to Glendora. They had been approved for low-income housing at the new Elwood Family Apartments.

"My kids and I always believed our turn was next to be able to start all over. Sometimes it is not easy to do that," said Stephanie, who asked that only her first name be used. "It took lots of prayer. I always wanted to move back to Glendora."

With the housing industry hobbled and the economic horizon hardly in view, Glendora is banking on affordable housing to give some people a boost.

This is the first time the city has pumped money—more than $3 million—into the "brick and mortar" aspects of an apartment complex that provides cheaper rates for those with lower incomes but want a better place for their families, like Stephanie.

"They are beautiful," she said. "I enjoy coming home every day now."

The apartments at 635 S. Elwood Ave. offer two to four bedrooms, and range from 900 square feet to 1,200 square feet. Discounted rates are offered based on income. Rental prices range from $450 for a two-bedroom apartment to $1,231 for a four-bedroom unit.

The discounted brackets usually start when a person's or family's combined income is below $24,000 a year.

"Workforce housing is a critical component to us having a healthy community," said Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers. "There are all sorts of people that are hardworking but just can't afford housing."

The city put in about $1.9 million to help build the project and the city's redevelopment agency also threw in about $2.75 million, said John Clem, the President of TELACU Homes, the developer.

Clem said the need and demand for affordable housing is high given current conditions. With strong leadership from communities, it is possible to still create positive housing despite the economy, he said.

"All these people who are losing their houses are becoming renters again," Clem said.

And the property manager at Elwood is seeing that. The most popular apartments are the three- and four-bedroom units. Many of those house families who have lost their homes to foreclosure, said property manager Brenda Guidry.

The complex, which has about 80 units, is 52 percent full but has many applications being reviewed.

Date: February 24, 2009
Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Author: Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer