FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL THERE. LOW INCOME STUDENTS WILL SOON HAVE MORE OPTIONS FOR LIVING ON THE SAC STATE CAMPUS. CREWS WILL BE BREAKING GROUND ON A NEW RESIDENCE HALL THIS FALL. MUCH OF THE MONEY FOR THIS IS FROM A RELATIVELY NEW STATE GRANT THAT'S AIMED AT CREATING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR STUDENTS, KCRA 3'S ORKO MANNA HAS A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS PLAN. YOU'LL SEE, LIKE THE WHITE DOTTED LINES HERE DASHES ACROSS THIS PARKING LOT MARKED THE OUTLINE OF A BRAND NEW STUDENT RESIDENCE HALL AT SACRAMENTO STATE. RENDERINGS SHOW WHAT THE FIVE STORY STRUCTURE COULD LOOK LIKE. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS BUILDING AS BEING OUR GATEWAY TO THE NORTH VILLAGE AND A GATEWAY TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON CAMPUS FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS, SOMETHING NEW FOR SAC STATE. RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEDS IN THE PROCESS, BUT HOUSING SERVICES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAMUEL JONES TELLS ME THIS PROJECT WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR 285 AFFORDABLE BEDS ACROSS CAMPUS. WE GET TO SPREAD THROUGH ALL EIGHT BUILDINGS SO THAT IT'S NOT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILDING, BUT STUDENTS WILL BE AT A CERTAIN PRICE POINT AND THEY GET TO LIVE IN ANY OF THE RESIDENCE HALLS THAT WE HAVE. NEARLY TWO THIRDS OF THE FUNDING FOR THE $69 MILLION PROJECT COMES FROM CALIFORNIA'S HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT HOUSING GRANT PROGRAM. IT HELPS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE STATE PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND IT REQUIRES THE UNITS TO BE USED FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS. ADVOCATES SAY IT'LL HELP THOSE ENROLLED IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, WHERE 57% OF THE COST GOES TO HOUSING. IF YOU HAD, UM, THAT COST STABILIZED AND AFFORDABLE FOR YOU, THAT CAN REALLY MEAN THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO PERHAPS WORK FEWER HOURS AND TAKE MORE CLASSES AND MAYBE GRADUATE SOONER. SAC STATE STUDENTS SUPPORT THE NEW INITIATIVE. I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY LIVE CLOSE BY, BECAUSE IT IS KIND OF EXPENSIVE HERE IN SACRAMENTO. WE SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO COMFORTABLY SEEK HIGHER EDUCATION, AND I THINK SOMETHING LIKE COLLEGE TUITION AND HOUSING PRICES TEND TO SOMETIMES STRAY PEOPLE AWAY, JONES SAYS. THAT IS A LARGER GOAL OF THIS PROJECT. IT REALLY DOES HELP WITH RETENTION. CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN THIS OCTOBER, AND THEN THE NEW BUILDING IS EXPECTED TO START HOUSING STUDENTS STARTING IN THE FALL OF 2026. REPORTING FROM SAC STATE ORKO MANNA KCRA THREE NEWS. SACRAMENTO STATE HAS 600 STUDENTS ON THEIR HOUSING WAITING LIST, SO THEY KNOW THAT THIS NEW RESIDENCE HALL WILL BE FULL AS