Congratulations to Save The Family and Gorman and Co., which celebrated the groundbreaking of Escobedo at Verde Vista on December 6! Founded in 1988, Save the Family was created to help homeless families become self-sufficient.
In 2011, Save The Family participated in the CSH Supportive Housing Institute with team partners Gorman and Co. (developer) and Magellan Health Services. The team focused on the development of affordable and supportive housing in Mesa which would be near employment opportunities and on light rail. The culmination of the team’s Institute experience is the redevelopment of Escobedo at Verde Vista, Mesa, which will include 70 affordable and permanent supportive, energy-efficient rental units. Escobedo was built in the early 1940’s and originally housed British and U.S. Air Force pilots during World War II. After the war, the development was converted into segregated public housing for minority households living in poverty in the Washington Park neighborhood.
Escobedo at Verde Vista will include a 15,000 square foot building to house Save the Family, “The new headquarters for the Save the Family Foundation will allow us to expand our housing and social services. We began working last year with our partners to find a location for our headquarters and to build a mix of affordable and permanent supportive housing and we are looking forward to being part of Escobedo at Verde Vista,” Save the Family Foundation of Arizona Chief Executive Officer Jacki Taylor said. The development preserves four “legacy” units of Escobedo from demolition to honor the past history of the community. These buildings will include a leasing office, a multi-purpose building for a before-and-after school program, a computer lab and training center, a theatre and fitness center as well as a museum to celebrate the dynamic history of the neighborhood. Financing of Escobedo at Verde Vista is from private equity through the sale of federal tax credits administered by the Arizona Department of Housing.