MODESTO, Calif. — 58-year-old Jessica Juarez has been homeless in Modesto 10 years, and for now, her car is her home.
"It's difficult because sometimes people really don't understand where you came from," said Juarez. "It's not that you really want to be out there, but there's always like a crisis or something that could happen."
The former teacher's aide and librarian is hopeful plans for a new, affordable housing complex might be what gets her off the streets for good.
Called the Seventh Street Village on 7th Street on properties between I and J streets, the housing complex will be a six-story building.
It hinges mainly on a $50,000,000 Affordable Housing and Sustainability Grant the city hopes to get from the state.
"We're really excited for this project. I think this project will be a catalyst for housing downtown. It's the first of its kind. So, it will have commercial on the bottom and 79 units of affordable housing," said Jessica Hill, Modesto's interim director of Community and Economic Development.
There will be one, two and three bedroom units catering mainly to working-class families.
Visionary Home Builders of California, a non-profit Stockton developer, will build out the site.
"This project not only is bringing housing, but we're also improving streets, adding bus shelters, bike lanes," said Carol Ornelas, CEO of Visionary Home Builders of California.
Since 2019, Modesto's nonprofit Downtown Streets Team has been able to get more than 100 homeless off the streets and into housing. It hopes this new project will help even more.
"We see a huge housing gap in this community and it's so difficult to find housing solutions for people that are low income," said Meggan Clifford. Director, Modesto Downtown Streets Team.
With help from the Downtown Streets Team and the United Way, people like Jessica Juarez have their lives back on track. She hopes to be working again soon and one day have a place to call her own again.
"Oh man, I would be the happiest woman in the world," said Juarez.
The city will know by late summer if it will be approved for the state's affordable housing grant.
If it does receive approval, plans are to begin construction in the spring of 2024 and complete construction eighteen months later.
WATCH ALSO:
