Avalon Villas was specifically designed for households with children—and it shows. The 94-unit South Phoenix development boasts an expansive, shaded splash pad, multiple play structures, a dog park, and an on-site Head Start classroom.
The latter offers early learning, school readiness, and development programs for children 5 and younger and was part of a personal mission of Jessica Raymond, executive vice president for Atlantic Development & Investments, Avalon Villas’ developer, to provide support for women balancing child care with employment.
“The supportive services at Avalon Villas set it apart from other developments in the market,” Raymond says. “Children of Avalon Villas residents are given first priority for classroom slots, providing a model that can be replicated by other private developers.”
In addition, the development’s nearly 3,000-square-foot community building boasts a full-time health navigator for residents and supportive services through the Community Bridges behavioral health care organization. Mary’s Food Bank also provides on-site food to resident children when school is not in session.
The $26.9 million development is 100% income-targeted housing.
As Raymond explains, “Affordable housing developers in Phoenix have faced a long-standing challenge, and potential residents demonstrating the highest need for housing, particularly those carrying housing vouchers or subsidies, were not being efficiently prioritized on lease-up waitlists. This led to residents and families with the greatest need often having to wait months, sometimes years, to find long-term housing. I'm proud of the changes we made to our company policies to prioritize tenant-based subsidy voucher holders—including reducing barriers to the approval process—during the lease-up of Avalon Villas.”
