Retirement Housing Foundation Breaks Ground in Los Angeles on Two Affordable Housing Projects

Retirement Housing Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony on February 28 for Crenshaw Gardens, an RHF tax credit, affordable housing community for families, and Crenshaw Villas, an RHF tax credit, affordable housing community for older adults, in the West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert area of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brenda Shockley and a representative from the offices of California State Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas attended the event. Also in attendance were representatives from the funders of the communities, Retirement Housing Foundation, and other local agencies.

Crenshaw Gardens and Crenshaw Villas will have 49 and 50 residential units, respectively, and both will have ground floor commercial space. The buildings are expected to achieve a minimum LEED Silver certification. The units have been designed with an open plan concept in common areas, and will feature Energy Star® appliances and low flow plumbing fixtures. These communities will each feature a large community room and a communal laundry room, and their exteriors will include a courtyard, environmentally conscious landscaping, and an automatic irrigation system. Both communities have been carefully designed and organized to maximize their accessibility for the physically disabled. Crenshaw Gardens is made possible through funding from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Boston Financial Investment Management, The Angelus Trust, the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, and Citibank. Crenshaw Villas is made possible through funding from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Credit Capital, the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, UNIDAD, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, Bank of America, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

About RHF:

Founded in 1961, RHF is a national non-profit organization with a mission to provide a range of housing options and services for older adults, low-income families, and persons with disabilities. RHF is affiliated with the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries of the United Church of Christ and LeadingAge and its state affiliates, and also co-sponsors housing development with other varied denominational and community organizations. RHF sponsors and manages 185 communities (18 in Los Angeles, alone) in 29 states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. More than 20,500 people call an RHF community “home.”