TAMPA, Fla. — Blue Sky Communities and Metropolitan Ministries will cut the ribbon Friday on a new affordable housing project called SabalPlace.

The 112-unit apartment community is the first of what Metropolitan Ministries hopes will be more affordable housing projects in the coming years in the Tampa area.

What You Need To Know

  • SabalPlace Apartment Complex recently opened as an affordable housing complex for families

  • Officials say there is already a waiting list, which speaks to the need in the community

  • The affordable housing complex is giving families hope and happiness, along with stability and self-sufficiency

  • Families will also be provided with other resources while living there

For Brenda Gideon’s four children, the SabalPlace Apartment Complex is not only a place to live but a place to have fun. For Brenda, though, it’s a second chance.

“How close was I to not having a home? Before this whole process, we lost our place, we lost our home…” Gideon said in tears.

Gideon was pregnant, and her significant other lost his job at the start of the pandemic.

There were nights when the couple and their three children could afford a hotel, and then there were other nights when they slept in their car.

“Struggle, very struggle. It was very challenging. But I am thankful that I made it through,” said Gideon.

She made it through, thanks in large part to Metropolitan Ministries.

They are providing Gideon and her family, along with more than 100 other families faced with homeless, an affordable place to live.

“When you see the families move in and they cry tears of joy seeing this beautiful apartment, being in the lovely neighborhood for their families, for their children — it is truly a joy,” Christina Long, Chief Programs Officer with Metropolitan Ministries, said.

Sabal Place opened on Monday and there’s already a waiting list, which speaks to the need in the community.

The hope is these apartments will provide families with more than just a place to sleep at night.

“It’s a place for families to grow, grow with their self-sufficiency, their stability, and change the trajectory of their futures forever,” Long expressed.

Just look at Gideon—the potential in her future already has her emotional.

“Just seeing my kids overwhelmed with happiness and joy, how excited they are…it’s just how thankful we all are,” Gideon said.

Families who live there will also be provided with other resources to help get back on their feet.

For more information on the apartments or to join the waiting list, visit https://www.sabalplace.com.