California Low-Income Residents Getting New Affordable Housing

Residents living in the Pismo Beach, California area will soon be getting fourteen brand new low-income apartments due to a  $5.8 million project approved by the city. The new units are being built specifically for families whose  income is 30 to 50 percent of the area median income. For a family of three, that income range is around $20,000 to $33,500 per year. 

The project is welcome news for low-income families who cannot afford to purchase a home in the area where the median price for single-family homes,  although down from the $900,000 price tag a few years ago, is still at $560,000. The city received 75 applications for the 14 units.

Low-income housing is scarce in this pricey San Luis Obispo County community. In fact, it is only the second project the city has undertaken.  The first project resulted in 12 affordable housing units which was completed about 15 years ago. Their goal, under state law, is the completion of 272 very low- and low-income residential units by 2014.

The new housing project is being built by People’s Self-Help Housing, a non-profit organization established in 1970. The organization serves the needs of low-income families, seniors, and others with special housing needs in the San Luis Obispo,Santa Barbara and Ventura, California areas. Since their establishment they have built more than 1,350 affordable rental units for low-income residents. Their projects are funded by donations from corporations and private donors,  and grants from community and corporate foundations as well as community, city, state, federal, and other grants.

For more information, visit http://pshhc.org/press/2012/pr_201208_pismo_apps.html