Down-Sizing (cont’d)

The desperate need for affordable housing for low-income families has inspired the Community Redevelopment Agency, which is responsible for most subsidized housing in Los Angeles, to seek some fresh ideas. An example of the agency’s new approach is a program that “provides help to small first-time developers who have a stake in bettering their communities,” said CRA Administrator John Tuite.

Typical of the small-scale CRA projects is an eight-unit apartment building in the Adams-Normandie area, southwest of downtown L.A. Neophyte developers Eula Mae and Jodie Henderson were loaned $505,000 to build the pleasant stucco two-bedroom apartments in a depressed area. The units, which rent for $650 a month, were applauded by tenant Yolanda Martinez as “not only comfortable but a joy to come home to.”