PHOENIX – The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved $17 million in funding for over 600 units in three affordable housing projects stretching from south Phoenix to the West Valley.

And more could be on the way.

“This is not the end of it for us,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

“What’s great about this one is it’s spread across the Valley. This issue with affordable housing is not limited to one particular area.”

One of the sites, a hotel in central Phoenix on Van Buren Street, will be converted to transitional housing for $8 million.

The other two projects will be traditional apartment-type builds: the $6 million two-phase Centerline at 67th and Glendale avenues, which eventually will have 368 units; and the $3 million, 192-unit Salt River Flats at Broadway Road and 14th Street in Phoenix that is expected to be finished in March 2024.

“That’s really what the approach should be – a regional approach to address homelessness and the lack of affordable housing,” Gates said.

“As far as I’m concerned, the lack of affordable housing is on the of the biggest issues that we’re facing in Maricopa County right now. That’s why I’m grateful to my colleagues for supporting this program.”

The funding, from the American Rescue Plan Act, will turn the hotel into spaces more suitable to longer-term living for individuals and some couples who are experiencing homelessness.

Once the hotel is converted, there will be on-site case management services to help the residents get on their feet again, including employment efforts, Gates said.

“We have a unique challenge right now, but we also have the unique opportunity.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Monae Jordane contributed to this report.

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