Featured Profile: Zollie Scales Manor

Provider: Cesar Chavez Foundation

Location: Houston, TX

Property Type: Family Housing

Units: 158

Description: In 2010, Mercy Loan Fund provided a $1,300,000 construction/bridge loan to the Cesar Chavez Foundation to preserve Zollie Scales Manor in Houston, Texas. The Cesar Chavez Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps preserve, promote, and apply the legacy civil rights of leader Cesar Chavez by building affordable housing for low and very low-income people. The Cesar Chavez Foundation has built, renovated and/or manages 4,300 units of high-quality affordable housing in four states.

Zollie Scales Manor consists of 158 units of affordable rental housing for working families, 25 percent of which will serve families at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income. This funding will allow 330 low-income residents to continue to have quality, affordable housing.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation plans to develop and run an on-site program to improve the financial situation of the Zollie Scales Manor residents through financial counseling and education that focuses on reduction of expenses and asset building. Also being considered is a plan to operate a Si Se Puede! Learning Center at the property. The center will provide afterschool and summer programs for youth and teens that emphasize education, leadership and life skills development. The center would be staffed with AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA members that commit to a year of service working with poverty populations.

“I applaud Mercy Loan Fund for their creativity and flexibility in working with us. It is partners like Mercy Loan Fund that help us achieve our mission of assisting in the provision of decent and affordable housing to low and moderate income persons,” said Manuel Bernal, Vice President of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.