GLENDALE : $72,000 More OKd for Habitat Complex

The Glendale Housing Authority voted Tuesday to provide Habitat for Humanity with the remaining $72,000 of $259,000 in financial assistance to build a four-unit townhouse complex for low-income residents.

Habitat for Humanity--a nonprofit organization that builds and refurbishes homes nationwide, largely with the help of volunteers--sells homes at no profit to low-income people and often asks for financial assistance from cities.

The 5-0 vote, by City Council members who also sit as the authority, allows the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity to advertise with the Salvation Army, local churches and the Chamber of Commerce for low-income families to apply to the program.

To qualify for the program, which features no-interest mortgages, a family of four must earn no more than $24,150 per year. Applicants accepted into the program will be required to place a 1% down payment on a three-bedroom unit and to pay monthly mortgage payments of about $500.

In October, the council voted to approve a portion of the financial aid--about $187,000--for the nonprofit organization to purchase a vacant lot at 531 Allen Ave. The organization plans to build a two-story multifamily complex on the site. Tuesday’s vote allowed the city to transfer the rest of the funds--about $72,000--from the city redevelopment agency funds to the nonprofit organization. The money will be used to prepare the site for construction, pay city and school fees and make off-site improvements.