SAN FRANCISCO, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Amazon on Wednesday announced that it will invest a total of 10.6 million U.S. dollars to help build and renovate more than 130 affordable homes in Nashville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in partnership with the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency.

       This commitment is part of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, a more than 2 billion dollars commitment to create and preserve 20,000 affordable homes for individuals and families earning moderate-to-low incomes in Nashville, Washington state's Puget Sound region, and Virginia's Arlington region, the announcement said.

       Over the past two years, Amazon has committed more than 94 million dollars to affordable housing projects in Nashville to increase the number of real estate developers of color who focus on affordable housing, according to the company.

       "We've already hired more than 2,500 people at our Nashville office, and we're continuing to invest and create jobs across the city," said Michelle Gaskin Brown, Amazon's Nashville manager of public policy.

       "These new developments will provide affordable housing, social services support, and convenient access to public transportation to hundreds of families and individuals in the city," Brown added.