Queen Latifah Launches Affordable Housing Project In New Jersey

Queen Latifah is giving back to her hometown, launching a groundbreaking affordable housing project in Newark, New Jersey.

The Hip-Hop legend joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Tuesday (Apr. 26) to kick off the ceremony for the new 76-unit housing development.

Queen Latifah is looking towards the future of Newark with the Rise Living development that will also transform several local properties into modern housing and mixed-use spaces. Rent will start at $1,800 a month.

“It took a while, but we stayed with it and it changed and it morphed, and we stayed with what we needed to do, and the timing is right now for this place to rise,” said Queen Latifah.

Queen Latifah felt compelled to act after seeing all the empty or run-down properties in once flourishing neighborhoods. “I’m proud to be from here,” she continued. “I grew up around here playing in West Side Park, a block away. My grandfather’s hardware store was blocks from here. I drove past this block. I saw what was needed on this block, houses that weren’t lived in. Some were really dilapidated, and so I thought, ‘Why not here?’”

Queen Latifah Breaks Ground

A beaming Queen Latifah stood proudly wearing a hard hat, shovel in hand as she broke ground on the development. “I’m a little bit emotional that we got walls up, we got windows,” she revealed during the ceremony.

QUEEN LATIFAH IN NEWARK: Actress and musician #QueenLatifah helped break ground Tuesday at a new mixed-use housing project in #Newark – a deal made possible through her real estate development firm. – https://t.co/iF1G3xQoz0 pic.twitter.com/vNYKzuepLO
— News12NJ (@News12NJ) April 27, 2022

The Rise Living development is named in honor of Queen Latifah’s late mother, a former Newark school teacher. An acronym for “Rita is Still Everywhere,” the project is a collaboration between Life Assets Development, Gonsosa, and the BlueSugar Corporation, co-founded by Queen Latifah.

“RISE Living groundbreaking ceremony today,” penned Latifah, while sharing an image from the ceremony on instagram. “Can’t wait for the world to see the completion of the journey.”