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Project developers and supporters officially broke ground on the $6.2 million project Thursday.

Once they're completed, the three and four bedroom homes will be available for rent to low-income households defined as 50% average median income and below. Projects leaders say an affordable 15 year lease to purchase program will allow many of the families who rent these homes to eventually buy them.

The Ibero-American Development Corporation will provide support and services to the project residents, as they have for the families that moved into the first 25 homes built in this neighborhood two years ago.

Eugenio Marlin, president of the Ibero-American Development Corporation, says the homes are part of a larger neighborhood-driven redevelopment effort.

"We see less of drug trafficking the area. People are beginning to utilize the corner park, people are going on the trail," Marlin said. "Families who didn't go to the corner stores to buy the things that they needed now they go to the corner, so it's changing appreciably since we started here."

"It's nice because there's been a lot of empty lots here that need to be filled with new houses," said Moses Miranda, a resident. "I mean, it's quieted down; there used to be a lot of bad stuff, you know, a lot of things going on. It's quieted down I could say."

"I been livin' in the neighborhood for a long time. I believe that positive growth is good. There's going to be a negative everywhere you go in life, but just to see the community's getting better, it's going to look good, it'll be better for everybody," said Jose Padilla, a resident.

More than $20 million has been invested in the area since 2001.