New affordable housing complex opens in Winter Haven, offers on-site medical, mental health services

FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - With Polk County growing at the rate it is, finding affordable housing can be a challenge, especially for those struggling to find work or with mental health issues.

Big picture view:

On Tuesday morning, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for "Jersey Commons," located at 1115 Wilson Drive in Winter Haven. The new affordable housing project, developed by Blue Sky Communities, features 68 units and is for residents dealing with difficult life challenges, including mental health.

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"It can take those people struggling with housing, like those people aging out of child welfare or people just having large mental health issues, and maybe they get evicted a lot from other housing units so they can come here," said Alan Davidson, the CEO of the Central Florida Behavioral Health Network.

The organization, CASL, will provide services on-site such as Linking to Substance Abuse Treatment or Psychiatry and Counseling. Meanwhile, Tri-County Human Services is hoping to break ground on a behavioral and medical health building within the next year.

"Many times, people who are living here have trouble with transportation," said Davidson. "They can't get to these places, so to have everything as a one-stop shop is huge for these types of people."

READ: Tampa average rent prices higher than national average: Zillow report

Dig deeper:

The goal is for residents to focus on how they can succeed, instead of focusing on where they're going to sleep or where they're going to get their next meal.

"We're looking for stabilization for people and to see if they can thrive in this environment," said Davidson.

What's next:

Local leaders would like to see another 200 units come to Polk County within the next five years. The project is funded by low-income housing tax credits from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Carla Bayron.

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