Units Are Blessing for ‘Working Poor’ : Child care will soon be among the benefits enjoyed by residents of low-income projects built through the Century Freeway program.

Arletha Houston calls herself poor, but she smiles when she describes the spacious three-bedroom apartment she shares with her two children.

“This is for the working poor,” Houston said, stepping through the entrance of her $310-a-month apartment. “If this wasn’t low-income housing I couldn’t afford it. I think they built these buildings with the same idea as a Westside apartment. You know, they did things like put a storage closet out by the balcony so people won’t have to just store things out there (on the balcony).”

Houston’s apartment is in the 40-unit, 1 1/2-year-old Roberta Stephens Villas at 27th Street and Central Avenue, amid rows of older wood-frame homes. Houston, a school custodian whose last apartment was federally subsidized, said she can’t afford to pay more.

Complexes praised by Houston and other residents, such as her twin, Aretha, who lives in another building across the street, are among the 1,328 apartment units built in the city as part of Century Freeway Housing Program.

A third of apartment units, including the Houstons’ complexes, were designated for South-Central, said Carl McLaney, a representative with the housing program.

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The Century Freeway Housing Program was developed by the federal government in 1979 and administered by the state to replace homes lost to the freeway’s construction. The program is expected to provide the city with more than $295 million for developments. So far 2,539 apartment units have been built in 26 cities near the freeway, and an additional 3,336 are planned.

The program works with private and nonprofit developers to build apartment complexes such as Roberta Stephens and Academy Hall on the 12000 block of Vermont Avenue. Using federal money, the program finances land acquisition, construction and long-term monitoring to ensure affordability and upkeep.

“We’re about more than bricks and mortar,” McLaney said. “We’re trying to encourage developers to come up with plans to enhance the quality of life of the residents.”

Juanita Tate, executive director of Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles, the developers of Roberta Stephens Villas, said that is exactly the type of assistance residents need. While tenants pay about 30% of their income for rent at Roberta Stephens Villas, they will receive additional benefits, such as child care and an adult education program, which begins this month.

“Many of our families make between $12,000 and $32,000 a year, and if you have to work and can make a couple of dollars overtime you will,” Tate said. “But if you then have to turn around and use it to pay for baby-sitting, then what have we accomplished?” she said. Nanny and study-buddy programs were developed by the residents, she said.

Information: (310) 419-2300.