‘It’s been a blessing’: Affordable apartments officially open in Sanger

SANGER, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – After a year and a half of construction, phase one of the new 72-unit rental community called Cherry Crossing in Sanger is complete. 

Self-help Enterprises built the affordable apartments to help address the region’s growing housing needs. On Friday, a fresh start and new beginnings fill the air on Cherry Avenue, as leaders ended up cutting the ribbon. 

Resident of Cherry Crossing, Jasmin Paz, says this is a blessing. She now calls this community home, along with her 14-year-old son.

“It’s been a blessing to me. I’m very appreciative for this opportunity and this new journey,” Paz said. “Sanger’s like my community, I grew up here, my family’s here, and I’m just glad that I’m still here.”

Cherry Crossing offers one, two, and three-bedroom units starting at $450 a month.

Affordable housing anywhere in the United States is hard to come by, but for the President and CEO of Self-help Enterprises, Tom Collishaw, he is working day by day to make it a reality.

“Eighteen of these units of these 72 units are actually reserved for families who work in agriculture. They are essential workers, and they struggle to find affordable places to rent,” he said. 

But getting to this point wasn’t without its challenges. He says it took public, private, and grant funding to make it happen.

“It’s hard to get funding for these kinds of projects in communities the size of Sanger. It’s very complicated,” Collishaw said.

“We have a second phase, and at full buildout. This project will actually include 136 units of affordable housing, permanently affordable housing,” Collishaw said.

While they’re still working on financing for phase 2, they hope to start construction in 2027.