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CHC Membership organization National Community Renaissance (National CORE) has completed a striking renovation of low-cost condominiums originally built in 1969. Through a partnership with the City of Rialto, National CORE conducted a $37 million rehabilitation of the deteriorating condominiums known as Citrus Grove in the Willow Winchester neighborhood. The completed project features 152 newly-refurbished affordable housing apartments offering a safe and healthy living environment for residents.
In the past, the neighborhood generated the highest number of requests for police services in Rialto and was a center for gang activities, costing taxpayers over $160,000 annually in police responses. Since National CORE took over the project in 2005, violent crime in the neighborhood has plunged by nearly 79%, and overall crimes have fallen by almost 68%.
BEFORE AFTER
All renovated units include new appliances, roofing, carpets, windows, doors, bathroom fixtures, plumbing, electrical systems, drywall, exterior stucco and landscaping. Other amenities added to the community include a gated entry, centralized laundry facilities, a new tot-lot and a community/ learning center, the project’s centerpiece.
Funding for Citrus Grove was provided through tax-exempt bonds, tax credits, State HCD’s Multifamily Housing Program funds, San Bernardino County HOME funds and other public sources to augment conventional financing sources to acquire and rehabilitate the development.
Veada Pinkney, a resident at Citrus Grove, says, “It’s truly amazing what has been done for our neighborhood. I am so thankful that I don’t have to worry anymore about what could happen to my family right outside my own doorstep. It’s great to know there are people who still care about making a difference.