Photos courtesy of Comprehensive Child Development. 

The City of Long Beach has teamed up with the nonprofit Comprehensive Child Development (CCD) to provide affordable housing and child care to the Cedar Avenue neighborhood.

After conducting an assessment of two Cedar Avenue homes that recently foreclosed on one property, the City of Long Beach envisioned a way to provide discounted housing to low-income childcare providers in the neighborhood who provide day care services to surrounding low-income households.

“Such rehabilitation and reuse helps to remedy and eliminate adverse conditions in our neighborhoods, enhancing the quality of life and accommodating vital uses throughout Long Beach,” said Long Beach Communications Specialist Jacqueline Medina.

The city teamed up with CCD to accomplish blight removal, job creation, affordable housing and provide new social services, according to Medina. The city and CCD have been accepting applications (through May 27) for suitable childcare service providers to live in the house and provide day care services.

CCD gained the opportunity to work for the city after winning the Request for Proposals the city sent out once they planned the fate of the property. It’s the second such collaboration for the two, after a similar situation resulted in the creation of a learning center ran by CCD on Atlantic Avenue.

CCD officials expressed excitement for the project and the potential for service provider applicants to provide affordable day care in an affordable housing setting.

“It’s an important opportunity for families, not just children,” said CCD Family Child Care Coach Alicia Davis. “It’s a great opportunity for families that are low income to own their own business.”

The families must operate their daycares under strict standards, as CCD’s guidelines dictate at least one playroom, specific bathroom requirements, a minimum number of toys and kitchen/bedroom location requirements. Additionally, the child care providers must live in the buildings that have been set aside for them.

“The providers have to be high quality—we work to make sure they meet certain outcomes and standards,” said CCD Development and Communications Director Nichols St. Louis. A standard daily routine, education curriculum and literacy program are all components of the expected outcomes.

Long Beach’s programmatic plan came from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment, according to Medina.

“Through the purchase and rehabilitation of foreclosed and abandoned homes and residential properties such as the Cedar Avenue properties, the goal of the program is being realized,” Medina said.

After the service providers are selected, a ribbon cutting ceremony for the project will take place June 18, with an open house scheduled for sometime in mid-July, St. Louis said.

“It serves as an example of the City’s efforts to reinforce neighborhood stability, making Long Beach a safer place to live, work and play,” said Medina.

Applications for child care providers can be found online here, at the CCD office (2545 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806) or in front of the Cedar Avenue property (1874 and 1876 Cedar Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806). Applications are due by May 27.

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