The Terraces at Haven for Hope on San Marcos St. have 140 apartment units and was originally designed to be a place for haven graduates to obtain affordable housing.
"What we find in our work is that people come through the transformational campus, they’re ready to take the next step -- which is really housing -- but there really isn’t a lot of housing present in the community," said Mark Carmona, interim CEO of Haven for Hope. "That was always kind of the vision: How can we being to create this?"
The $16 million complex featuring one- to three-bedroom apartments are not limited to Haven grads, but are available for anyone with low income. Rent is based on a sliding scale and acceptance is based on annual income; the maximum for someone living alone is $21,000 annually, $30,000 for a family of four.
Haven graduate Beaux Gilliam is the first person to move-in. He gave a tour of his studio apartment.
"It’s a nice little 600 sq. ft. apartment that allows me a sense of independence, a sense of community, so I can bring other people in and enjoy a meal, enjoy some bible study, and just time together to share and open-up," Gilliam said.
Before Gilliam got to Haven he was living on the streets and sleeping in front a church. Now he works in marketing at the IMAX. The Terraces at Haven for Hope are owned by the Haven and managed by the NRP Group.