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New affordable housing units going up in Arizona

Officials say resident can buy after 15 years
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PHOENIX — A new affordable housing unit is going up in Phoenix where those who qualify will be able to buy the homes.

Trellis, a non-profit that advocates for homeownership, is building 43 units in the Sunnyslope neighborhood with the plans to sell the properties after 15 years.

The townhomes will range from two, three, and four bedrooms for those who qualify for the lower- to moderate-income.

Trellis says that 100% of the units will be reserved for households with incomes below 60% of the area's median income — so for example, a one-person household would need to earn around $33,000 a year or less to qualify.

“These are people who work in our communities, they work hard, but they just don’t have enough money to pay the current market rents,” said Patricia Garcia Duarte, CEO of Trellis.

New data from Apartment List shows that rent prices in Phoenix are up around 31% since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Median rent prices in Phoenix are at $1,211 for a one-bedroom and $1,479 for a two-bedroom.

Trellis has helped build 310 homes with over 100 more units to come, but these affordable homes have their limitations as non-profits can’t do them alone.

“The biggest setback and challenges in providing affordable housing is that it takes everyone private sector, public, and private,” said Duarte.

Trellis is not taking applications for the units yet but plans to around springtime 2022.

Check here for more information.

Nicole Grigg at KNXV first reported this story.