Groundbreaking Ceremony Sunday, Jan. 16, 2:00 p.m.

Brand new 216-unit modular affordable housing solution, expected to be completed in late 2023, sits adjacent to AHF’s Madison Hotel in the heart of hard-hit Skid Row

Ceremony is timed to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of housing justice advocacy

AHF and its Healthy Housing Foundation will host a groundbreaking and dedication ceremony on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, January 16, 2022 to showcase their ongoing commitment to eradicate homelessness in L.A. and across the country. The new building, the “Renaissance Center” will be comprised of a 216-unit, 15-story modular high-rise which will serve as housing for extremely-low-income and formerly homeless individuals.

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Completed render of Renaissance Center- Los Angeles. (Graphic: Business Wire)

As homeless numbers continue to increase and disproportionately affect people of color, this dedication ceremony comes just in time to honor and continue Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of housing equality. This new land acquisition from AHF sits adjacent from its Madison Hotel; a historic 220 single-room- occupancy hotel which AHF previously purchased and repurposed as affordable housing in 2018. The Madison was one of the first affordable housing real-estate investments made by AHF, which in turn helped launch Healthy Housing Foundation.

The Renaissance Center will become the 13th affordable housing site in the Los Angeles area that Healthy Housing Foundation has purchased and will repurpose as homeless or extremely-low-income housing since late 2017 when AHF first kicked off its housing program. Healthy Housing Foundation also has plans to build newly built affordable housing units in the Ft. Lauderdale region near its AHF Southern Bureau Headquarters. In addition, many AHF affiliate organizations across the U.S. are also involved in providing affordable housing in their communities.

A completed render of the new building “Renaissance Center,” will also be featured this weekend in a Los Angeles Times ad.

Housing for people of color, more specifically Black Americans, has been an ongoing issue for several decades. To date, more than half of Black Americans don’t own homes. This shows that discriminatory housing laws and practices continue to be a huge challenge.

In 1966 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made a compelling speech about housing equality and made great emphasis on the importance of allowing Black Americans the opportunity of home ownership. “We are tired of living in rat-infested slums,” said King. “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children.”

"Today's groundbreaking ceremony for the new 216 unit 'Renaissance Center', represents another milestone in the history of AHF,” said Cynthia Davis, MPH, Domestic Vice Chair, AHF Board of Directors. “The fact that we are holding this ceremony, while also commemorating Martin Luther King Day, is a testament to AHF's vision to 'Fight For What Is Right', while working tirelessly to end homelessness in Los Angeles County. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an advocate fighting for the civil and human rights of the disenfranchised, the poor and homeless; AHF is continuing his legacy of advocacy with the construction of the new Renaissance Center."

AHF launched Healthy Housing Foundation in 2017 to address the rampant affordable housing crisis sweeping the nation by providing fast, easy, and compassionate access to affordable housing with a focus on addressing the needs of low-income individuals, struggling families, youth, and those living with chronic illness.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.7 million individuals in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare.

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