Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage
She’s coming home! Queen Latifah is giving back to her hometown of Newark, NJ in a major way. The actress is embarking on a $14 million project to invest in a bundle of multi-family townhomes, according to NJ.com, and it’s all set to begin this summer.
Latifah, who is co-president of BlueSugar Corporation, is working with GonSosa Development to fulfill a need to the community. Cristina Pinzon, a spokeswoman for the developers stated both companies recognize the necessity for affordable housing in and around the city. “They understand how difficult it is to make ends meet for many residents and want to be part of the solution,” she said in a statement. “They remain dedicated to making life better in communities like Newark.”
And the “Beauty Shop” star has always uplifted her city, no matter what. Remember when she gave the commencement address at Rutgers University last year? Watch below:
Now, if you’re wondering about the price of these units and how many are available, here’s the break down: 20 three-family townhomes, and one three-story mixed-use building with 16 additional units are in the blueprint for Queen and team, reports WSB-TV. The apartments will be affordable housing, while the homes will start at $1,800 per month. Maybe she even has a plan to build a home for her, longtime girlfriend Eboni Nichols, and their alleged bun in the oven.
For those looking to make that move into the new properties, they will open by December 2020, while the income-based housing is on track to be finished by December 2021, according to The Root.
It looks like the 48-year-old is all about enhancing the lives of others in different ways. In 2015, the former host paid her laid-off employees with her own cash, so they wouldn’t be without money for the holiday season. And over the past few months, she announced the Queen Collective, according to Vibe, which aims to give women behind the camera the chance to receive funding or exposure for their work. Watch her talk about it here (start at 4:54):
“There are just not enough female directors. This is a small part of what we’d like to do to help change the disparity that we see out there in terms of all the dollars that are given to male directors, all the support that’s given to male directors, and everything we see, yet we’re at least half of who’s watching these movies and buying these products,” she said reports Yahoo. “So we want to make sure women have an opportunity…that the queens have an opportunity. The Queen Collective will make sure that happens.”
The rapper reported last year that she would serve as an executive producer on the upcoming Clark Sisters biopic, so hopefully more stories like that one will be told through the collective.
TELL US: What impact do you think these housing options will have on Newark residents?
Like TV One on Facebook and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
