Until recently, stability was hard to come by for those working in the agriculture industry in Hatch, NM. Work was hard, pay was low, and affordable housing was lacking. On April 12, however, that changed for 40 families with the grand opening of the $9.6 million El Camino Real Apartments. Built specifically for farm workers, this affordable housing complex offers income-based rent that adjusts with the growing season. During peak growing seasons rent will average $500 to $800 per month and drop as low as $150 during the off seasons. Also, because this project utilized federal low-income housing tax credits, each apartment had to be designed and built to be 30 percent more energy efficient than homes built to code and achieve certification under the green building standard of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. These apartments on average were built to be 70 percent more energy efficient and all achieved the highest level of certification under LEED, LEED Platinum. Read full article by Albuquerque Journal.
