Middle-Class Home Converted To Low-Income Housing Draws Elk Grove Neighbors' Ire

ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Residents in a middle-class neighborhood were furious to learn a neighboring home is being converted to low-income housing.

The City of Elk Grove sold an eight-bedroom, three bathroom home on Sun Sprite Way to a non-profit housing agency, earlier this year.

The plan is to help disabled, low-income residents find permanent housing. The program only applies to people who live in Elk Grove.

Sacramento Self-Help Housing now manages the home and says it sent letters to neighbors letting them know about the project.

Some neighbors say that wasn't the case.

"Why here? Why in our neighborhood?" said Avnit Prasad.

He was shocked to hear the remodeled home on the other side of his street is being converted into low-income housing.

"Two, three people live there, they bring their friends, more people come, stuff gets stolen, who am I going to blame?" Prasad asked.

The rumor Prasad says he heard floating around the neighborhood is about to become a reality.

"Why didn't anybody come to us or ask?" he said.

"They already approved it we can't do anything about it," said Jonathan Fua, another neighbor.

Fua has been fighting the City of Elk Grove since 2016, urging city officials not to sell the home to Sacramento Self-Help Housing.

"Hopefully nothing makes our neighborhood go down," said Fua.

The city sold the home earlier this year to help disabled and low-income residents find permanent housing.

"It will be security for them, and their traumatic experience of trying to find a place to live and jump around -- this will be their home," said Ken Bennett, who works for the SSHH.

Bennett says every applicant has to go through a background check before he or she is approved to live in the eight-bedroom home.

The goal, he says, is to help struggling citizens from ending back up on the streets.

"If you're only making $877 to $900 a month, there really is no place to live, and that's a tragedy," Bennett added.

Prasad says it's a good idea, just not in his neighborhood.

"Why bring in something to cause trouble?"

The agency says it's hoping to begin housing tenants by the end of the year.

Bennett says his agency chose the home on Sun Sprite Way because it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.