The newest affordable housing complex in Maricopa County is already transforming lives.
River at Eastline Village is a 56-unit affordable housing community at River Road and Apache Boulevard in Tempe located near light rail and bus routes.
Esperito Gonzalez is one of the residents. In his church and non-profit work, he focused on helping others with daily necessities, including housing. But up until recently, he couldn't afford a home of his own.
"I was living in my office for two years," Gonzalez says. "Everybody smiled at me. I smiled back. And nobody knew where I was going to go after service."
Maricopa County District 1 Supervisor Jack Sellers represents the area and says developments like these have a positive, long-term impact on the community in general and on homelessness in particular.
“Our cities and towns need affordable housing as we continue to grow,” said Maricopa County Supervisor Jack Sellers, District 1. “This public-private partnership will provide a great benefit for residents of Tempe and I would like to see additional similar projects so all our residents have an opportunity for a stable home.”
The Housing Authority of Maricopa County (HAMC) worked with Gorman and Company to bring the project to life. HAMC and Gorman have worked together to redevelop 600 units of public housing across the county over the past six years.
“Gorman & Company is proud to have worked with the Housing Authority of Maricopa County in repositioning another development in its housing portfolio.” said Brian Swanton, President & CEO at Gorman & Company. “The Housing Authority was one of the earliest adopters of the federal government’s innovative Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program in the U.S., which encourages housing authorities to utilize public/private partnerships to modernize their stock of publicly-assisted housing.”
Gonzalez is grateful for the new living situation and hopes other will benefit as well.
"I am able to rise up in the morning and not have the concern where I'm going to wake up," said Gonzalez. "It just really makes me feel that this country is the best place to live in."