Fixing San Bernardino’s Housing
Mayor Patrick Morris stands in front of the first of 46 blighted fourplexes the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency will demolish in the 19th and Sunrise area, to make way for new projects that will be developed at a later date. This demolition project was funded with money from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, of the United States Housing and Urban Development. Photo by YeeKang Kong.
Carey Jenkins, director of Housing and Community Development for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, discusses plans for the 19th & Sunrise area of the city with a neighborhood resident. Those plans include demolishing 46 fourplexes to make room for new development, and renovating 25 additional fourplexes. Funding for the demolition and renovation came from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the United States Housing and Urban Development. Photo by YeeKang Kong.
Susan McDevitt (third from right), executive director of Mary Erickson Community Housing and San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris (right), cut the ribbon on Eastpointe Village as other local dignitaries watch. The dignitaries are, from left, Carey Jenkins, director of Housing and Community Development for the San Bernardino Economic Development Association; Jim Yerdon, community development specialist with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; Doug Bystry, chairman of the board of directors for Mary Erickson Community Housing, Jerry Paresa, executive director of governmental relations for San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and Lynn Valbuena, vice chairman of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Eastpointe Village is a new apartment complex near 19th and Sunrise in San Bernardino, available to families making up to $32,500 yearly for a family of four. Mary Erickson Community Housing, in partnership with the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, is creating Eastpointe Village by renovating 25 fourplexes in the 19th and Sunrise neighborhood, with funds the Economic Development Agency obtained through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Photo by Matt Sloan
Connie Williams, (left) manager of newly opened Eastpointe Village, shows two neighborhood residents a map showing the changes coming to the area of 19th and Sunrise in San Bernardino. Williams is pointing to 2194 E. 19th St., the same fourplex in which the women are standing. It and the rest of the buildings shown in blue on the map are in the process of being renovated to create Eastpointe Village, luxurious apartments for families making up to $32,500 for a family of four. The building in which they are standing was the first one renovated. The green and gold areas on the map show 46 additional fourplexes that are in the process of being demolished to make way for new development at a later date. The San Bernardino Economic Development Association is funding both the renovation and the demolition through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the United States Department of Housing and Community Development. Photo by Matt Sloan
Jennifer Rodriguez is all smiles as she cuts the ribbon on the home she purchased from the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, which had renovated the home through a partnership with the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency. Using money from the United States Neighborhood Stabilization Program, the Economic Development Agency and its community partners are renovating vacant, foreclosed homes and selling them at market price to homeowners making as much as $78,000 for a family of four. Photo by Chris Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Two years ago, the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency received $8.4 million from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Since then, the agency embarked on 43 projects to help San Bernardino’s neighborhoods, and has spent the money.
“That is important because it means the federal government can’t take it back,” said Mayor Patrick Morris. “More importantly, it shows that our city is committed to stabilizing our neighborhoods to make a better life for all of us.”
This fall, the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency will give a final report to the City Council on how it spent this money, after it tabulates the final purchases. At a recent meeting, Housing and Community Development Director Carey Jenkins reported on how it had spent the funds through March 31, 2010.
There are three components to San Bernardino’s neighborhood stabilization efforts:
- Purchase, renovation and resale of single-family homes ($3.7 million)
- Purchase and demolition of housing units to allow for future development ($1.3 million)
- Subsidizing housing for families at or below 50 percent of the area’s average median income. These subsidies help families earning less than $32,250 for a family of four, more for larger families, less for smaller families. ($2.6 million)
Through the first three months of 2010, the Economic Development Agency acquired 19 housing properties. Since some are multiple-family apartments, they house 40 families.
The newly purchased property includes 13 homes the Economic Development Agency intends to renovate and resell, three fourplex apartment complexes that will be renovated and rented out through a partnership with Mary Erickson Community Housing, and three apartment complexes with 15 units total scheduled for demolition.
Now that San Bernardino’s money is obligated, the Economic Development Agency hopes the city will be eligible for a future allocation of these funds. It also hopes that if any other cities don’t spend all of their money by federally imposed deadlines, some of it could be re-allocated to San Bernardino.
For more information, call Carey Jenkins, director of housing and community development for the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, at (909) 633-1044.
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