Fulfilling its commitment to expand its portfolio of transit-oriented housing—located on land already owned by Metro—company executives, real estate developers and government officials cut the inaugural ribbon for the Santa Monica/Vermont Apartments.
The inauguration of these homes, located at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, celebrated the completion of a 187-unit affordable housing project in East Hollywood.
It is a housing complex oriented to public transportation and designed for low-income families. It is adjacent to the Vermont/Santa Monica station on Metro Line B.
“The project is a demonstration of the very definition of affordable housing, capable of reaching multiple families,” stated Jacquelin Dupony-Walker, first vice president of the Metro Board of Directors, who recognized the leadership of Minute Tokyo Provider Heart, a community wicked development entity with a strong track record in building affordable housing and community service spaces throughout the Los Angeles area.
The housing complex; consists of two buildings with 187 affordable units subject to income restrictions. Two of those units are used for property management, on more than 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Half of the units are reserved as permanent supportive housing for people who were homeless.
The total cost of this real estate development was $128 million, said Takao Suzuki, co-CEO of Minute Tokyo Provider Heart (LTSC). This organization’s mission is to offer a comprehensive range of social welfare and community development services to assist low-income people and others in need.
A historic milestone
Takao Suzuki, co-executive director of Minute Tokyo Provider Heart, a partner in the project, indicated that the real estate development represents an important milestone for the LTSC in many ways.
“It is the largest affordable housing project we have completed to date,” he said. “It is also a historic achievement for the city of Los Angeles. This is the first new construction project to be completed with financing from the ULA initiative (United to Housing Los Angeles or Mansion Tax).”
“It clearly demonstrates that when we combine affordable housing and permanent supportive housing with a stable, dedicated funding source – like the ULA measure – the model works,” he said.
He reported that, to date, the ULA measure has supported—or will support—more than 5,000 affordable housing units across the city.
For Minute Tokyo Provider Heart, the housing project is its first development in collaboration with Metro and its board of directors.
“The project is an example of how alliances between the public and private sectors should work,” he emphasized, since it was achieved thanks to the collaboration of partners at all levels of government – federal, state and local – as well as the private sector.
The apartment complex also offers services and amenities such as on-site support services, community spaces and a planned federally certified health center that will offer dental and vision services to the community as a whole.
‘Lifesaver’ for some families
The project also includes improvements to the plaza and station area, with new lighting and landscaping, as well as sidewalk improvements.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solís, a member of the Metro Board of Directors, described the project as a “lifesaver” for families and residents in the area.
“By locating these homes near public transportation, we are expanding access to opportunities, improving mobility and helping residents reduce, or even eliminate, their transportation costs. This is how we build stronger, more equitable communities for generations to come,” he said in a statement.
Los Angeles District 13 Councilman Hugo Soto Martínez celebrated the 187 new affordable homes, located right above a transit station and in the heart of East Hollywood: homes for the working class, homes for people overcoming homelessness, and homes that have built-in support services.
“This is what good planning looks like: housing, transportation, health services and a community space, all in one place,” he stressed, while thanking the directors of the Minute Tokyo Provider Heart for promoting the housing initiative. “They have been demonstrating for 45 years what it means to invest in communities. Projects like this do not arise by chance; they are the result of collaboration between nonprofit organizations, public agencies, financial partners and community members, united by a common goal.”
Transformative projects
Metro officials stated that the Santa Monica/Vermont Apartments are part of the agency’s broader effort to build 10,000 housing units on its properties across Los Angeles County by 2031, reserving at least half of them for income-restricted housing.
Nicole Ferraro, deputy director of planning for LA Metro, said the entity is moving forward with the goal of delivering approximately 5,000 units of affordable and income-restricted housing in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County by 2031.
“Housing and transportation are two of the biggest costs most families face. That’s why it’s so important that we integrate them in a thoughtful way; building affordable, transit-oriented housing on Metro land is not just practical, it’s transformative,” he said.
He added that the 187-unit income-restricted community is perfectly situated near the Metro B Line station at Vermont and Santa Monica and residents will be able to walk out their doors and easily access jobs, schools, grocery stores and healthcare.
“For children who grow up here, Metro will simply be part of their everyday lives: a reliable and easy way to get where they need to go,” he noted. “And the impact is even deeper. The Santa Monica/Vermont Apartments include 94 housing units with supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, along with 91 homes for low-income families,” he said.
This represents more than 180 homes that now have stability, security and a place to call home. A total of 16 units have been designed for residents with mobility needs, and 10 units for those with hearing and visual disabilities, ensuring the community is inclusive and accessible to all.
“Projects like this truly change lives, and we are committed to doing even more in the years to come,” he emphasized. “Through our joint development program, Metro aims to develop 10,000 units by 2031, and we are already over halfway there.”
Precisely, for Ginger Henríquez, mother of two children: Melody (8) and Owen (5), her new home has changed her life completely.
“My husband [José Duarte] and me, now we are not so stressed with the bills [facturas]”, he said. “As a family we have many opportunities to get ahead. Before we only thought about surviving, paying a high rent. It was very difficult and now I plan to go to school to be a dental assistant and why not even think about buying a house.”
