KINGMAN, Ariz. — An old motel on the historic Route 66 is expected to be converted into affordable housing for individuals experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness.
Catholic Charities Communities Services recently announced it had obtained $4.5 million in grant funding to buy the Route 66 Motel in northern Arizona and repurpose the 25-room building into affordable housing.
The motel was built in 1963 along the section of Route 66 that cuts through Kingman. The historic roadway was established in the 1920s and served as a popular route between Chicago and Los Angeles.
Housing for Hope, an affiliate of Catholic Charities, will be overseeing the conversion of the motel into 20 studio and one-bedroom apartments, which are intended to provide some relief to a housing crisis that's affected multiple regions of the state.
"Housing insecurity has grown considerably in recent years, in particular in rural Northern Arizona communities. In response to this crisis, we are placing an increased emphasis on more underserved populations within our state,” said Steve Capobres, executive director of Housing for Hope.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 80% of Arizona's extremely low-income tenants are severely cost burdened, meaning they spend more than half their income on housing costs.
Housing for Hope says it will help provide a full range of social services for the occupants of the converted motel.
The grant agreement will obligate the organization to run a transitional housing program for the first five years before converting the property into permanent housing units. Residents will be required to pay 30% of their income as rent for living at the property.
The funding was allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act, legislation signed by President Joe Biden that provided an economic stimulus during the coronavirus pandemic.
The converted property is projected to be operational by the spring of 2024.