"Now I get to see my two daughters grow in a stable environment. I don't have to worry about fixing a home that needs to be fixed because they're brand new," Navarro said.
Edgar's home is part of a new, unrecognizable neighborhood off of Florence Avenue in southwest Fresno.
It used to be a sprawling vacant lot but is now filled with brand new homes.
Leaders say community members led the charge and advocated for a change.
"They didn't want any more apartment rentals. They wanted to own their own properties. They wanted to own their own homes and they want to have the same quality of home that you would find in the north side of town," Fresno City councilmember Miguel Arias said.
Officials say each home is valued at about $325,000 but because of investments from local agencies, the city and tax funds paid for by city residents, mortgages for these families will be closer to $200,000.
A few are already occupied, but work is still underway to get the rest move-in ready.
"This is home ownership. This is 17 families that are going to be able to move into these homes in this neighborhood and call it home," Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said.
California continues to be the epicenter of the housing crisis, and the Central Valley is no exception.
According to Redfin, the median home price in Fresno is $415,000 -- that's up 6.4% compared to last year.
"Nowadays, it's really rare to see a young person buy a home because of all the rising costs," Navarro said.
While the city cannot build its own housing, Mayor Dyer says his main focus is facilitating more projects like these to transform lives and the landscape of Fresno.
"As I stand in this neighborhood, it's not about building houses. It's about building futures for families for the children. This neighborhood is something that they're going to be very, very proud of and it's a neighborhood. They're going to call home," he said.
This is just the beginning for the new development, as 33 more affordable homes are being built across the street.
Those homes are expected to be ready in the next couple of months.
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