At 33, Alina found herself trapped in a crumbling marriage, battling the effects of her husband’s addiction and abuse. With three boys in tow, and isolated from her family, hope flickered when she discovered Metro View apartments, a new National CORE community opening in Rialto.
“I feel like I now have power, like I found my own voice for the first time in a long time,” Alina said. “Now I have the freedom to do whatever I want. My husband isolated me from my family and kept me a housewife, but he can no longer hold me back. Getting this apartment at Metro View changed everything.”
Alina and her boys moved into a three-bedroom apartment at Metro View in February. The beautiful affordable housing community is the city’s first transit-oriented community, providing 55 apartment homes to individuals and families earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income.
Alina’s journey started in 2013 when she moved with her husband into his parents’ house in Ontario. Despite a promising beginning, her marriage deteriorated over the years. Alina, without a job or money, found herself sharing a single bedroom with her three boys at her in-laws’ house after she convinced her husband to move out.
“He kept trying to restart a relationship with me,” Alina said. “I was close to reconciling with him, but one day I realized that he would never change and that I needed to work on getting away.”
Contacting the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino led Alina to National CORE and Metro View.
Since moving in, Alina’s life has undergone a remarkable transformation. She’s now employed as a medical assistant, having earned certification from San Joaquin Valley College. Her social circle has expanded, reconnecting with family and she’s exploring her options for starting divorce proceedings.
“I’m very happy with where I am right now,” Alina said. “I feel like I’m in a dream because it’s a wish come true. It’s a miracle for so much good change like this to happen to me.”
Focused on the future, Alina is eager to explore Rialto with her children using the Metrolink and Omnitrans. She intends on participating in Hope through Housing’s financial planning programs to boost her savings and has plans for a housewarming party, envisioning a home filled with friends and laughter.
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About National CORE
National CORE is one of the largest nonprofit developers in the nation, with a 30-year history of being an innovator in the field. In 2021, National CORE became one of only two affordable housing developers to earn an A+ credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings. In 2022, National CORE issued $100 million in Series 2022 Social Bonds to accelerate the development of critically needed affordable housing. Serving more than 25,000 residents, National CORE strives to be a launching pad, not a landing pad, for families struggling financially. In 1998, National CORE created the Hope through Housing Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit, whose mission is to end the cycle of generational poverty through resident services that promote educational attainment, economic mobility and overall well-being.