Comite de Bien Estar unveils new apartment complex

SOMERTON – After more than seven months of work, Comite de Bien Estar on Friday celebrated the opening of the Tierra del Cielo apartment complex that will provide homes for low-income farm worker families.
 
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the 33-apartment complex is ready to receive the families that will be renting under a program subsidized by the Department of Agriculture.
 
Tierra del Cielo is located on the north end of the city, on the corner of Somerton Avenue and Brenda street.
 
Gary Black, project manager for Tierra del Cielo, said a $6.2 million investment funded the two- and three-bedroom apartments for that are expected to be occupied beginning next month.
 
“This complex is made for farm worker housing," he said. "They'll have Rural Development (USDA) assistance for the monthly payments, depending on the income. They can actually get here for free, if they qualify,” he said.
 
Aside from the apartments, Tierra del Cielo has a laundry facility, a community center and a child care facility. Other features are playgrounds for kids and parking for the occupants' vehicles.
 
Friday's ceremony was presided over by Marco Antonio Reyes, executive director of Comite de Bien Estar, who presented the local and state officials attending the event.
 
As a part of the program event, Reyes announced the affiliation of Comite, a nonprofit housing organization based in San Luis, Ariz., with Neighborworks, a national organization dedicated to support and finance groups with housing programs for low-income families.
 
“It was an extensive process, Comite got reviewed on administrative performance, operations, management. It was not an easy process, it took us two years to get the certification,” said Reyes.
 
"Obviously there will be a lot of benefits, but most of them are related with improving our operation systems, accounting and all management systems," he said.
 
The affiliation will enable Comite de Bien Estar to expand employee training, he said. “Neighborworks offers a high level of training. Now all employees will have access to the most excellent chain of training at the national level,” he said.
 
At the event, the Comite board members received a $54,000 check from Neighborworks.
 
Nelson Merced, director for Neighborworks, said that after a period of research, “We found out that Comite is very good organization, with a good history, plans, vision and a healthy condition. That's what we are looking for in the organizations we serve.”
 
Each year Neighborworks receives federal funds through Congress.
 
Merced said this year the organization will distribute $118 million between its 240 affiliates.
 
Comite de Bien Estar is the first Yuma County organization, and the third in Arizona, to get affiliation to Neighborworks, said Merced.
 
"We give training to our organizations," he said. "Just two weeks ago we held a training in Phoenix with 1,800 participants from organizations working with low- and moderate-income housing programs.”