GLENDALE : Housing Project for Needy to Begin

Habitat for Humanity, a nationwide nonprofit organization that helps needy families become homeowners, will start construction today on its first project in the city of Glendale.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at 531 Allen St., where Habitat for Humanity’s San Gabriel Valley chapter and the city’s Housing Authority will build a four-unit townhouse project for very-low-income families, officials said.

The project will consist of three-bedroom townhouses of about 1,100 square feet, which will be sold for $50,000 to $75,000 each. Families earning less than half the county median income, or $24,150 for a family of four, will be eligible to participate in the buying program.

Preference will be given to Glendale families who are able to make a 1% down payment, pay a small mortgage and provide “sweat equity”--physically helping to build the home.

Habitat for Humanity uses volunteer labor and donations to build homes. The Housing Authority purchases the property and pays development fees for the project, officials said.