Firebaugh breaks ground on more affordable housing units
City leaders say that this is the first step in getting families ready to become homeowners.
FIREBAUGH, Calif. (KFSN) -- Residents in Firebaugh will soon see an affordable housing community come to life late next year thanks to Fresno Housing and its partners.
The La Joya Commons project broke ground Tuesday morning, making way for 68 new affordable housing units in Firebaugh.
La Joya Commons will be the sixth apartment complex built by Fresno Housing in Firebaugh, adding to the 5 affordable housing communities that are already at full capacity.
"It means that people can live in a comfortable house with air conditioning, and they don't have to suffer," said Ben Gallego, City Manager with Firebaugh.
Ben Gallegos who now serves as city manager lived in the homes that will soon be demolished and transformed into a new area for hardworking families that serve our agricultural community.
"Living here when I was a kid growing up in the community, I grew up all my life here in the community of Firebaugh, and to see this you know be transformed into a nice community, a nice apartment complex, it's going to mean a lot to this community," explained Gallegos.
The original apartment homes date back to the 1970s and served as homes for farmworkers. Habitat for Humanity also plans to build 17 new homes in the city of Firebaugh where city leaders say housing has always been an issue.
"Housing affects us even more so than the bigger cities because again our families here are sometimes doubled, tripled up in homes," said Freddy Valdez, City Councilmember with Firebaugh.
City leaders say that this is just the first step in getting families ready to become homeowners themselves with more affordable housing projects still to come.
1,000 people are currently on the waiting list for The La Joya Commons.
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