BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new affordable housing complex has opened in downtown Bakersfield, offering 126 one-bedroom units and support services to help residents transition to better living situations.
The Elevate Apartments, a collaboration between CityServe and the Kern Housing Authority, held its grand opening Tuesday on F Street, across from the DMV.
The project aims to impact thousands of people over the lifetime of the building by providing not just housing, but comprehensive support offering residents various services including education, job placement assistance, and health services during their 18-month stay.
"They need people to invest in them, a community to invest in them, with regard to their education, their job, readiness, to help them, spiritually, socially, in every way, to move forward in their life. And that's really our hope. Our hope is to build deep relationships with them and walk with them. The real success for us will be as they navigate out of here and into their own home, their long term forever home," Wendell Vinson, co-founder of CityServe, said.
Some residents have been living in one of the complex's buildings for about a month. At Tuesday's grand opening, one speaker shared a letter from a current tenant expressing gratitude for the opportunity.
"So far since I've been living here over a month, I have nothin bad to say about, but what a good experience. I feel safe comfortable and I have a clean environment to live here. From now onward I hope I will live on like this for the rest of my days," the tenant wrote.
For Carlos Baldovinos, Executive Director of the Mission at Kern and CityServe Board member, the complex represents a significant step forward for unhoused individuals seeking to improve their lives.
"This is a huge, huge first step that the Housing Authority, in collaboration with city serve, are getting got this building done, and residents are moved in, and we can begin to see the transformation that these individuals have as they stay in this facility," Baldovinos said.
While some residents have already been living in the building for about a month, according to a CityServe staff member, more people will be moving in over the next week.
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