ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The goal is for people who work in St. Johns County to have an affordable option to live in St. Johns County. On Wednesday, Ability Housing broke ground on ‘The Villages of New Augustine’, an affordable housing apartment complex with 92 units.
“I can not tell you how excited all of us are that we are finally at the stage of breaking ground and starting to knock down trees and build homes," said Shannon Nazworth, President and CEO of Ability Housing, "this has been many, many, 6-7 years in the making and to finally be at this stage is a thrilling and exciting experience.”
The complex will be built on Volusia Street, about two miles west of downtown St. Augustine. Ability Housing says prices will be determined by household size and income but will start between 600 to 800 dollars per month, something lawmakers like county commissioner Sarah Arnold applaud.
“We call it workforce housing and that’s where you’re talking firefighters, teachers, health care workers," said Arnold, "we have to do better keeping them here in our community and if we don’t have projects like this, we’re going to continue to lose them.”
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, someone working minimum wage would have to work 92 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in St. Johns County.
Greg White is the founder and president of the West Augustine Community Development Corporation and says he hopes the Villages of New Augustine jumpstarts a revitalization for West Augustine.
“The ultimate goal is to bring infrastructure throughout the entire area of West Augustine and that process will begin more and more when we see 90 plus units here,” said White.
Construction is expected to last about 18 months and Ability Housing says they will begin accepting applications for rentals closer to completion of the project.
More information about Ability Housing can be found on their website.