> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Affording something better - URL: https://www.smdp.com/affording-something-better/ - Published: 2007-07-14T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:18:04.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Santa Monica, #archive-import *SM’s sweetest price* MID CITY Jessica Ruiz values hard work, but no matter how much time she invested in her job, the single mother of two young boys couldn’t seem to break into a higher income bracket, making it increasingly difficult for her to afford to live in Santa Monica, the place she calls home. Two years ago, she had just been through a painful divorce and had very little experience in the corporate world when she was faced with the decision to move out of the city or apply for affordable housing. “It was scary to be on your own like that with two kids,” said Ruiz, who is taking night classes at Argosy University so she can become a paralegal and elevate her income. “It was hard to keep my head up and keep going.” Ruiz had heard all the horror stories about how long it would take to land an apartment. Some people told her she was wasting her time, that she’d never be approved, considering the supply of affordable units is so low compared to the ever-increasing demand. In the beginning, Ruiz tried to keep the faith, but after a year and a half, she too had her doubts. Then came the phone call that changed her life. Ruiz and her two sons had been approved for an apartment in a new building on 15th Street and Broadway. The mother felt like she had won the lottery after taking up residence in March. “I couldn’t believe it,” Ruiz said, standing in the doorway of her new home. “It took a while for it to sink in.” Since moving in, Ruiz has noticed a significant change within herself, both physically and emotionally. “It’s made me stress a little less so that I can be more present for my children,” Ruiz said. “I can laugh a little louder, a little harder. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to make a better life.” Ruiz isn’t the only one. In affordable housing developments all across the city, tenants who make anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000 a year are expressing their gratitude at having been lucky enough to land an apartment that doesn’t feature broken plumbing or soiled carpets. They are seniors barely making it on Social Security; the disabled who can’t work; new immigrants from Iran and Central America looking to escape religious persecution or poverty; large families; and young couples experiencing parenthood for the first time. They are Santa Monica, but does Santa Monica want them? The answer seems to be a resounding “yes.” Elected officials, at the request of residents, have enacted aggressive policies requiring the construction of affordable housing to counteract market influences that have pushed moderate-and low-income residents out, taking with them the diversity that many cherish and are fighting to maintain. A LONG WAY FROM WATTS Santa Monica has been praised for its efforts in regards to building affordable housing, but there are critics who believe City Hall is doing more than its fair share. The dissenters believe the city has enough affordable housing and that more units should be set aside strictly for Santa Monica residents. Others fear the developments will depress property values and bring more crime by grouping together large numbers of low-income residents. While such arguments against affordable-housing projects may apply in less desirable areas of the county — most notably Jordan Downs in Watts, where poverty and gang warfare have a stranglehold — those in Santa Monica typically attract only the most qualified and responsible tenants — those who’ve passed an extensive background check before signing a lease, said Joan Ling, executive director of Community Corp. of Santa Monica (CCSM), the leading developer of affordable housing in the city. “If you have bad credit, bad landlord references, previous evictions, you are not eligible,” Ling said. “We have these rules to protect neighborhoods and protect the tenants who live there. It weeds out quite a few.” While there are federally-funded developments in the city that cater mostly to those living outside the city, Ling said CCSM is required to give a preference to Santa Monica residents or those who work in the city. But because of the background checks, there are some Santa Monicans who do not qualify, opening the door for others waiting for an apartment. CCSM cannot discriminate against people just because they do not live in Santa Monica, Ling said. Also, City Hall does not contribute 100 percent of the funds for the affordable units. CCSM and other developers build the majority of their projects with a combination of funding sources, some taking out traditional loans from a bank or selling tax credits to investors. Others apply for state and federal funds to make ends meet. The development at 15th Street and Broadway, a CCSM project, was partially funded by City Hall — around 40 percent — and roughly half of its tenants either worked or lived in Santa Monica before moving in, a good return on the investment, according to Ling. “When people move here, they will find a job here, just like anybody else would,”Ling said.“We have to ask ourselves, do we want to just close the door and say we are never going to serve anyone who currently has no relation to the city?” Then there are those who once lived in Santa Monica, but had to move to surrounding communities like Mar Vista, Venice or Inglewood because they could no longer afford to live in their hometown. “They all want to come back, so just because they have moved out, or were forced out of Santa Monica, are we going to say,‘Oh, we don’t want you?’” Ling posed.“You can’t have a sealed system. It’s a good thing, not a bad thing.” A closed system could be ripe for abuse, she said. TACKLING PERCEPTIONS The majority of housing provided by CCSM comes in the form of rehabbed apartments that would have otherwise been demolished, forcing long-time residents to look elsewhere for housing, possibly in another city, Ling said. Of the roughly 1,400 units CCSM manages, two-thirds are rehab as opposed to new construction. Of new construction, Ling said more than half of the units are awarded to people who lived or worked in Santa Monica before they moved in. A lot of the negative comments about affordable housing stem from misinformation, Ling said, pointing out there is a very big distinction between the housing that CCSM and City Hall build, and those that are funded by the federal government — which has no preference in place for Santa Monica residents. “It seems like there’s not a story there,”Ling said.“If the story is that the city is spending money, but not helping its residents, that’s not true. Yes, there have been problems with federal housing serving local residents, but there’s never been a problem with us, who do family housing.” The federal projects are not done by developers who are in tune with the communities they build in, like CCSM is with Santa Monica, Ling said. That creates more confusion and resentment. The biggest hurdle seems to be perception. Some just have negative thoughts when it comes to affordable, or low-income housing. Even some of the tenants in CCSM buildings had reservations about living there. “In the beginning, we didn’t know what to expect,”said Sammy Gonzales, who lives with her family in a three-bedroom apartment in a new CCSM development at the corner of 26th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. Like many people, Gonzales thought living in a low-income housing project would be a lot like what is portrayed in movies, meaning run-down apartments with unemployed thugs hanging out front causing trouble. “But that wasn’t what we’ve experienced at all,” said Gonzales, who was living in a cramped two-bedroom apartment with five other people before moving to Santa Monica. Her parents, meanwhile, pay $1,100 a month for a three-bedroom, compared to $1,700 for their old place. “Everyone here is very nice, very friendly,” she said. “It’s a lot of families with young kids playing out front, just working-class people. It’s nothing like what we expected, and that’s been a great surprise.” Across from Gonzales lives Luiz Morales, his wife, two sons and his young daughter, who enjoys playing on a jungle gym in the complex courtyard. Morales works in restaurants in Santa Monica and Malibu, while his wife cleans offices a few blocks from their apartment. Their new home is much different from where they used to live in Venice, where they paid $822 a month, plus utilities, for a one-bedroom apartment, instead of the $922 he pays now for two bedrooms, a larger kitchen and a patio. “Here, we have more space, a nice kitchen, a dining room. It’s so much better,” Morales said. “We are very happy here.” Morales said he is looking forward to enrolling his children in Santa Monica schools. “This is the first time we’ve lived in such a beautiful place,”Morales said, smiling as he looked around the complex. Dawn Izen, the manager of the building at 15th Street and Broadway, said she believes her fellow tenants are much better than those she lived with in the San Fernando Valley, where she also managed a building. “Just because you are low-income doesn’t mean you’re a bad person,”said Izen,who lives with her husband, an administrative assistant, and two young daughters.“People are people, regardless if you make $1 million or $20.” Izen, who stays home with her daughters, one of whom just celebrated her first birthday, said she has always dreamed of moving to Santa Monica, but never thought her family could afford it. Then she saw an advertisement for a building manager and she jumped at the chance. Now, she and her husband are able to save money and hope to one day buy a home. “This really helps people get back on their feet,” said Izen, who praised CCSM for the assistance they give to tenants, helping to pay for gymnastics classes and other activities for her oldest daughter. “We consider ourselves very fortunate.” As does Ruiz, the recent divorcee with two sons trying to hold it together until she can get a better job. Once that happens, Ruiz said she plans to save up enough money to move out and pass on the apartment to another family so that they too can experience life without having to worry about how they are going to pay the rent next month. “I think we have to remember to be grateful and to serve others,” Ruiz said. “This hasn’t been an easy road and I’m very appreciative of what I’ve been given, and for the most part, so is everyone else I’ve come in contact with here. “These people are really great people, and if they didn’t live in Santa Monica before,” Ruiz said,“they do now, and I think we’re all better off for it.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 14, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/071407.pdf?ref=smdp.com)