It Takes A Queen

Affordable Housing is a hot topic in many cities around America, mainly because developers and builders have priced many of the middle and low income class out of towns and neighborhoods across the country. In some areas, many have come to believe that affordable housing is merely a concept because most cities haven’t figured out how to resolve the issue, while simultaneously providing fair treatment to all classes. Rapper, actress, mogul, and philanthropist Queen Latifah, is thinking of ways to resolve the affordable housing crisis in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Latifah now is adding Developer to her list of accolades, and she’s spending $14 million to build 76-unit residential town homes.

Latifah is expected to break ground this summer, working alongside GonSosa Development to build in New Jersey’s downtown district. Her units will consist of (1) 20 three-family town homes, (2) a three-story mixed-used building with (3) 16 additional units. The development will also contain a fitness center and a commercial space that will only be rented to nonprofits! 60 of the units will be rented at the going rate for the market, and 16 of the units will be affordable housing. The Market rate in in New Jersey for apartments are approximately $1,800 a month; no word just yet on what the “affordable housing” rates will be.

Latifah was born in Newark and raised in East Orange, New Jersey. Although she cannot resolve the problem of affordable housing alone, it is great to see a celebrity, going back to the place where she’s from, becoming a wealth builder – and providing some kind of solution for something that plagues her community.

In a commencement speech she gave at Rutgers in New Jersey last may, Queen Latifah told the graduating class:

“I couldn’t be more proud to be one of Newark’s own today, this is home. Today’s Newark is stirring again, stirring because our greatest export was never a product, it’s always been the people. People like each of you — unique, strong, creative individuals.”

The units for regular housing are expected to be open in 2020 and the affordable housing part is expected to open in 2021.