Comité de Bien Estar (Comité ), a NeighborWorks network member building quality, affordable homes in San Luis, Arizona, has worked with Community Housing Capital (CHC) to build 185+ single-family homes since 2009. Including revolved usage of their line of credit with CHC, Comite has invested over $21 million for the construction of single-family affordable housing for Mexican American and new immigrant farm worker families.
With a high demand from the workers in this rural area, Comité has been responsible for 60% of home sales. In the last ten years, they have built and sold 266 homes, and as demand has increased over the years, Comité has nearly run out of developed lots to build on. Community Housing Capital (CHC) has been Comité’s primary lender for the last decade. and with financing from CHC, Comite purchased 41 acres of land in 2019 to develop 163 additional lots. The most recent line of credit (LOC) closed in 2016. Since then, Comité has revolved the LOC almost four times and constructed approximately 164 homes, of which 90 were completed using CHC’s LOC. In 2019, CHC renewed and increased the existing line. The additional capital allowed Comité to acquire lots in the Bienestar Estates subdivision in San Luis at a discounted price, while maintaining inventory for continued production.
San Luis is the second busiest border crossing point in Arizona with over 7.8 million people crossing the San Luis border annually. During the height of the Yuma harvesting season, 30,000 to 40,000 Mexican farm workers cross the border each day. Comité works to empower Mexican-Americans and new immigrants to overcome the many barriers they face, including very-low wages and limited access to conventional financing.
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