FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 21, 2020

Contact: Rick Sprague, Mercy Housing California | RSprague@mercyhousing.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

El Monte, CA – Mayor Andre Quintero, joined by the City Council and a small group of various partners and City, County, and State officials, will announce the dedication of Baldwin Rose Apartments, a new affordable housing community on Baldwin and Rose Avenues that offers 55 homes for previously homeless veterans and their families. The building’s nonprofit developer, Mercy Housing California, and Veteran service provider, New Directions for Veterans (NDVets), will also be in attendance to celebrate the now fully leased and operational community.

“We are thrilled that Baldwin Rose Apartments, our second affordable veterans community developed with Mercy Housing California, is fully leased. El Monte is leading the way in providing housing to the courageous men and women who served our country and families.” – Mayor Andre Quintero.

The Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held in a small, socially distanced gathering featuring members of the New Directions for Veterans’ all-veteran choir performing the National Anthem, as well as a beautiful Presentation of Colors by the El Monte VFW Post 10218 Color Guard led by Commander Mark Tavera. To close out the event, Baldwin Rose resident, Mr. Maylon McKoy, will be speaking to offer a hopeful message to veterans experiencing homelessness. Also among the speakers is Ed Holder, Regional Vice President of Real Estate Development at Mercy Housing California, who states, “It takes a few heroes and a lot of time and tenacity to build affordable housing. The partnerships are what makes everything possible, and we are grateful to all of those involved who believed in the importance and necessity of this new veteran community.”

Addressing the City’s need for more affordable housing options for veterans in the community, Baldwin Rose Apartments includes 22 units for previously homeless veterans and 32 units for low-income families with a veteran head of household. This beautiful development provides one, two, and three bedroom apartment homes including 19 accessible apartments for mobility impaired households and 4 apartments for hearing/visually impaired households. Rent is based on each resident’s income, ensuring that the homes remain affordable for the long term. NDVets will provide wraparound resident services available onsite, which are tailored for the needs of veterans who are transitioning into their new lives. Services include benefits assistance, mental health support, life skills training, educational services, and peer support, all provided under professional case management.

Emilio Salas, Los Angeles County Development Authority Acting Executive Director, remarks, “I speak from first-hand experience when I say that there is no greater reward than serving your country and returning home. However, one too many servicemen and women struggle to survive after leaving the military. The Baldwin Rose Apartments offers a safe and supportive home for the very deserving men and women who have served.”

Construction on Baldwin Rose Apartments, which includes approximately $1.97 million of predevelopment, construction, and permanent financing from LACDA, began in January 2018 and was completed this past February 2020. The development is located on two separate parcels situated on both sides of Baldwin Avenue between Bessie Avenue and Rose Avenue. The site plan is designed to utilize these long narrow parcels by organizing the buildings which front Baldwin Ave. as a series of row house type buildings, locating the vehicular access at the rear of the long “bar” building, thus creating a pedestrian friendly street frontage in this mostly single family neighborhood. The development also takes advantage of a pedestrian bridge located on the north side at Bessie Ave. and a sidewalk connection on the south side at Rose Ave.

Mercy Housing California expresses its  sincere appreciation to all the partners that made this new housing development a reality: City of El Monte, Los Angeles County Development Authority, Wells Fargo Bank, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, New Directions for Veterans, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Department of Veterans Affairs, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and Century Housing Corporation.

About Mercy Housing California

Mercy Housing California (MHC) is the largest regional office of Mercy Housing, Inc. (MHI), a leading national affordable housing nonprofit. MHC’s mission is to create stable, vibrant, and healthy communities by developing, financing, and operating affordable, program-enriched housing for families, seniors, and people with special needs who lack the economic resources to access quality, safe housing opportunities, serving lower-income families, seniors, and people who have experienced homelessness. With offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, MHC has developed over 10,000 affordable homes across California. To learn more about MHC, please visit www.mercyhousing.org/california.

About New Directions for Veterans

New Directions for Veterans (NDVets) opened its doors in 1992 as a haven for veterans. It began as a single house rented by veterans that initially served only a handful of homeless Vietnam veterans. Today, the agency partners with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and many other public and private funders to provide more than 1,200 homeless and at-risk veterans each year with the housing and support services they need to get their lives back on track.  NDVets also operates a network of 10 permanent supportive housing developments throughout greater Los Angeles providing services and housing to 510 formerly homeless veterans.  To learn more about NDVets and our services for veterans, please visit us at www.NDVets.org.