After three years of planning, a new affordable apartment complex in Raleigh is finally taking shape, with construction set to start this year. 

King’s Ridge Apartments, a 100-unit complex in East Raleigh near WakeMed, is designed to give people experiencing homelessness a place to live. The complex will have one-, two-, and three-bedroom units reserved for individuals and families who make less than 60 percent of the area median income, with priority given to households making less than 30 percent AMI.

The goal is to provide stable, long-term housing to people who are or have been homeless, are living with disabilities, or face other barriers to housing, according to a news release. Residents of King’s Ridge will have access to supportive services like case management, physical and mental healthcare, employment coaching, and childcare. 

With more than 900 homeless in Wake County as of January 2021, the complex could reduce homelessness in the area by up to 10 percent. The cost of rent and utilities is capped at 30 percent of a resident’s income. 

The King’s Ridge project started in 2019, when local nonprofit CASA bought six acres of land off Sunnybrook Road for a future affordable housing development. The project is being funded in part by the Raleigh City Council, which contributed $7 million from the 2020 Affordable Housing Bond and $1.4 million in federal HOME funds.

“[For] families that have struggled for generations to make enough money to find a safe home to live and to raise their children, this is an opportunity to find a true home,” Erin Yates, Director of King’s Ridge, said in a news release. “I’m almost speechless at times when I think about the opportunities we’re about to provide for families and individuals.”

CASA plans to start accepting applications to live in the complex next year. 

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Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to jgallup@indyweek.com.