U.S. Vets plans affordable apartments in San Bernardino

Low-income veterans in San Bernardino may soon have new affordable digs.

The Los Angeles-based U.S.VETS, a longtime resource for military veterans and their families, has won approval to build a three-story affordable housing complex for qualified military veterans at 1351 N. E St.

The non-profit agency hopes to secure funds this year and begin construction of the 30-unit complex in 2023.

The development approved by the Inland Empire city’s planning commission will have 21 one-bedroom apartments and nine two-bedroom units, plus an office area that will double as a common space. An onsite manager will handle maintenance.

Fencing, entrance gates and cameras will ensure security, said Kent Trimble, a representative of U.S. Vets. Residents will have access to social services ranging from job training to life skills workshops..

U.S. Vets intends to submit plans for a second San Bernardino veterans’ housing complex once the doors open on its first location.

The organization, also known as the United States Veterans Initiative, is the largest veteran-specific non-profit housing and service provider in the nation, according to Guidestar, with 10 sites in five states and the District of Columbia.

Since 1993, it has served more than 135,000 veterans, provided housing services to nearly 50,000 vets and found jobs for 13,000 more. In 2020, it saw revenues of $66.2 million.

The Downtown L.A.-based agency has been active in the Inland Empire, opening an affordable housing complex in 2018 at March Air Reserve Base near Moreno Valley. An $8.1 million campus planned for 17th Street in San Bernardino was put on hold by funding challenges and the coronavirus pandemic.

In Los Angeles, a plan to build a 55-unit housing project for homeless military veterans near an elementary school in Chatsworth saw pushback last April from a local councilman and neighbors.

[The Sun] – Dana Bartholomew

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