Abode Communities Puts Finishing Touches on Affordable Housing in LA County
East Rancho Dominguez, Calif.--Casa Dominguez ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrates Los Angeles County affordable housing for young adults transitioning out of the foster system
By Lisa Iannucci, Contributing Writer
East Rancho Dominguez, Calif.–Casa Dominguez, a new affordable multifamily housing community, had its opening ceremony and ribbon cutting on May 26. The Center offers a federally qualified health center and preschool to residents and members of the surrounding East Ranch Dominguez neighborhood. It was designed, developed and managed by Abode Communities and is the first in Los Angeles County to offer permanent supportive affordable housing for young adults transitioning out of the foster system.
“Abode Communities is bringing together affordable housing and a Family Development Center together on one site, with services for residents and the community at large,” says Robin Hughes, president of Abode Communities. “It borrows from mixed-use development, but instead of a commercial or retail use, it applies the idea to community development and offers important neighborhood resources like a child care and health care center.”
Abode Communities responded to a Request for Proposal by the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles for a mixed-use project. After conducting a market assessment, Abode Communities discovered a greater need for community services like child care and health care at Casa Dominguez, instead of a commercial use.
“In addition to this assessment, Abode Communities built on their existing relationship with the Children’s Collective where the two organizations were already conducting a search for a suitable location for a child care center in the area,” says Hughes.
Construction started in November, 2008. Hughes, who has been involved in community transformation for more than 20 years, says that Abode Communities’ next project is the Glassell Park Community Housing, which has just begun construction and is a landmark development with the Los Angeles Unified School district that co-locates affordable housing alongside an Early Education center. The organization is also in the early stages of a master plan in Los Angeles for a project on a former brownfield that will include affordable housing, a park and a community use.
