Gallego Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Affordable Housing Development
PHOENIX, AZ –Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03), attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Garfield II, a new 60-unit affordable senior community.
“It is an honor to participate in the groundbreaking of Garfield II, a project I secured funding for that brings more housing to the Valley,” said Rep. Gallego. “But there is still work to be done. Ending Arizona’s housing crisis requires leaders on the local, state, and federal levels to come together. I have been and will continue to fight for more affordable housing for all Arizonans.”
Housing affordability is a major issue in the Garfield neighborhood, which Rep. Gallego represents. Over 46 percent of renters are rent-burdened, meaning that they spend more than a third of their income on rent. Of renters that are 65 or older, over 63 percent are rent burdened.
Of Garfield II’s sixty units, thirteen will be restricted to households earning at or below 20 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), eight will be restricted to households earning at or below 50 percent AMI, and thirty-nine will be restricted to households earning at or below 60 percent AMI. The Greater Phoenix Urban League will provide on-site social, health, and educational programming.
Yesterday, Rep. Gallego sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calling on the Department to do more to address the housing affordability crisis facing states like Arizona, particularly among renters, by increasing the financing of multifamily housing.
Earlier this year, Rep. Gallego announced $93.5 million in HUD funding coming to Arizona to support affordable housing, community development, and homeless assistance projects, including over $6.4 million to Phoenix for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program – the same program that is helping to fund Garfield II. He has also requested funding directly for Garfield II as part of his fiscal year 2024 Community Project Funding requests.