OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — East Bay leaders are taking steps to address the high cost of living for educators.

On Thursday morning, officials gathered for a news conference and a site tour of a newly purchased residential building intended to provide affordable housing for Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) teachers.

“This is a win-win-win on so many fronts,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of Idora Apartments in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. The announcement comes as the existing apartment complex, built in 2017, will now be dedicated to providing affordable housing for OUSD teachers.

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“But what’s unique about this approach is it allows us to act right now,” said Kyra Mungia with the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation.

“I want to be clear, Oakland Unified School District is a phenomenal district, but like teachers all over the country, our teachers are faced with real facts,” said Congresswoman Lateefah Simon.

Local educators, city, and state leaders say affordable housing is critical, but it is expensive and often takes up to 10 years to build.

However, when existing buildings are purchased and repurposed, the process can move much faster.

Melanie Turner, a special education teacher in Oakland, is the first educator to live in this new housing.

“I discovered recently from one of my students, yeah, we live in the same apartment (complex), and now every morning this student with the same big grin on her face greets me to remind me we’re neighbors. She says ‘Hi neighbor!’” said Turner.

Turner said teachers face many challenges, but one of the biggest is affordable housing, with many unable to live in the communities where they work. Now that she lives here, she no longer has to take the long commute from Contra Costa County.

“I get to walk to work, and back if I feel like it,” said Turner. “I get to talk with my son about his day when heading back home, or I can just take my time getting ready in the morning; that is a luxury that should not be.”

The building features 33 units, including one- and two-bedroom apartments up to 1,000 square feet, each equipped with a washer and dryer.

The Oakland Unified School District acquired the property for $12.6 million through a combination of private philanthropy and City of Oakland funding.

“When I started teaching here, I had four roommates, four roommates, and my mother was working in housing, and still that’s what I can afford,” said OUSD Superintendent Denise Saddler.

Turner gave another example of the young girl, a student who lives in the same building, to show that when children see their teachers rooted in their communities, it makes a lasting impact.

“She just knew somebody that she sees at school, is somebody that is part of her local community and that starts her day off with a smile,” said Turner.

City leaders say Idora Apartments is part of a broader effort to create 150 units of teacher housing across Oakland, and Thursday marked the first step.

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