GLENDALE : Low-Income Housing Project to Be Started

Habitat for Humanity, a nationwide nonprofit organization that helps needy families become homeowners, will unveil its first-ever project in the city of Glendale on Saturday.

An open house will be held at 9 a.m. at 531 Allen St., where Habitat for Humanity’s San Gabriel Valley chapter and the Glendale Housing Authority are building a four-unit townhouse project for low-income families, officials said.

The project consists of three-bedroom townhouses of about 1,100 square feet, which will be sold for $50,000 to $75,000 each. Families earning less than half the Los Angeles County median income, or $24,150 for a family of four, will be eligible to participate in the buying program. Preference will be given to Glendale families who are able to make a 1% down payment, pay a small mortgage and “sweat equity”--physically helping to build the home.

Habitat for Humanity uses volunteer labor and donations to build homes, selling them to low-income families with no-interest loans and at no profit. The housing authority’s participation in the project consisted of purchasing the property and paying development fees, officials said.