Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM) is a locally based nonprofit organization that develops and manages affordable housing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and provides housing to lower-wage working families. Private and public funds are used to develop, build and manage affordable housing in newly constructed complexes and in rehabilitated older buildings.
Four new projects will open in Santa Monica this year. One complex, with 41 two- and three-bedroom apartments, opened in January at Broadway and 15th Street. A new complex (pictured), located at Santa Monica Boulevard and 26th Street, is due to open some time in April. It will provide 44 two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Another project on Main Street will provide 44 units: one, two- three, and four-bedroom apartments in a mixed-use building which will have ground floor retail businesses opening onto Main Street. This is due to open in May.
A fourth project at Berkeley Street and Santa Monica Boulevard is framed and expected to open at the end of the summer. It will provide 47 two- and three-bedroom apartments.
According to Executive Director Joan Ling, there haven’t been any new affordable housing developments in the city for the past six years, and so CCSM has only had turnover apartments available, usually 80-90 units a year from a pool of about 1,200 units which they operate. They open the waiting list once a year and currently there are about 3,000 households on the list, representing about 8,000-9,000 people.