The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) joined the San Diego community in recently celebrating the groundbreaking of Harrington Heights, a new affordable housing development in the East Village. This $150 million project will include 270 affordable units that individuals and families experiencing homelessness, veterans and residents with developmental disabilities will call home.
Developed by Chelsea Investment Corporation, the complex is supported by more than $46 million in funding from HCD’s programs including the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program and the Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG) Program. In line with the Surplus Land Act and state climate goals, the development, which will be built on surplus local land, is near important services and the 4-acre proposed East Village Green park. In addition, the development’s proximity to a transit station serving multiple bus lines and the San Diego Trolley will help cut greenhouse gas emissions by lessening cars on the road.
See the video below for more information on Harrington Heights.
California Governor Gavin Newsom today announced Homekey grant awards to six new projects that will create 369 homes for Californians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, including several developments focused on young people transitioning to adulthood, and others committed to serving people dealing with chronic homelessness.
“Homekey continues to deliver needed housing faster for Californians struggling with homelessness,” said Governor Newsom. “By utilizing existing facilities including hotels, motels and former office spaces, properties are being quickly transformed into housing — helping to solve the homelessness crisis while creating welcoming places for Californians to call home.”
Today’s $99.9 million in grants will create new affordable housing in the City of Fresno, City and County of Los Angeles, City of Oakland, City of San Diego, and Yuba City. To date, the innovate program has funded 250 projects that will include 15,319 homes, serving more than 167,164 Californians over the projects’ lifetimes.
“The homes created through the Governor’s Homekey initiative will change lives for generations,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “Through the projects awarded so far, more than 167,000 vulnerable Californians will be relieved of the burden of housing insecurity, providing them with a solid foundation – and critical services – from which to explore opportunities that once may have seemed out of reach.”
“The evolution of Homekey has inspired creativity among localities and developers to embrace new building models that bring critical affordable housing online more quickly,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “Through Homekey, we are now able to provide the foundation of housing stability to young people entering adulthood without the family support so many take for granted, as demonstrated through several projects today.”
Homekey, administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), originated as Project Roomkey early in the COVID-19 pandemic as an effort to provide shelter to unhoused Californians in a non-congregate setting. While early Homekey projects focused on hotel and motel conversions, projects in the third round of Homekey have included a hospital conversion, new builds, and innovative modular construction models. The program goal remains to rapidly expand availability of affordable housing to help Californians exit or prevent homelessness.
Below are the project specifics for the awards announced today:
The City of Fresno, in partnership with Fresno Mission Communities Inc., will receive $9,598,131 for the City Studios project, a 34-unit motel acquisition and rehabilitation project that will create permanent housing for youth and other people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with Hope the Mission, will receive $7,158,774 for the Oak Tree Inn project, an acquisition and rehabilitation project that will convert an existing motel to create 22 interim units to serve youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The City of Los Angeles will also fund four additional interim housing congregate units for homeless youth in this site.
The County of Los Angeles, in partnership with Butterfly’s Haven and 3811 Woodlawn Housing LLC, will receive $9,289,655 for the Butterfly’s Haven – Woodlawn project, which involves the acquisition of a brand-new multifamily building that will create 29 interim units to serve youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The City of Oakland, in partnership with DignityMoves and Brookfield Oakland Housing LLC, will receive $14,266,000 for the Dignity Village Oakland project, a modular new construction project that will create 41 permanent housing units to serve individuals facing chronic homelessness.
The San Diego Housing Commission will receive $35,000,000 for the Presidio Palms project, a 163-unit hotel conversion project that will create permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness, and for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Yuba City, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter Inc., will receive $24,632,331 for the Merriment Village Apartments project, an 80-unit new construction project that will create permanent housing to serve people experiencing homelessness.
Citrus Heights celebrated the grand opening of Sunrise Pointe, a new affordable housing complex, on January 11, 2024. The 47-unit development offers a supportive environment for individuals and families who experienced homelessness, including those with mental health challenges.
The project was supported by HCD’s No Place Like Home (NPLH) program and was among the first to receive NPLH funding in the Sacramento region. A collaboration between Jamboree Housing and Hope Cooperative, this is the first affordable housing project approved by the city of Citrus Heights in twenty years. In addition to being 100% affordable, Sunrise Pointe offers residents amenities including a community kitchen, multi-purpose space, computer room, picnic/BBQ area, playground, and a sports court, and it is located near schools, transit, and essential services.
Adriana Gomez moved into Sunrise Pointe with her two children and said she feels immense relief in her new home.
"When you've been bouncing around for a long time, and to finally be settled in your place, it is a great joy. It's priceless,” Gomez said.
View the video below to listen to Adriana Gomez and learn more about Sunrise Pointe.
The Orange County Superior Court today ruled in favor of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), finding that the City of Anaheim violated multiple state housing laws when it denied a well-established local nonprofit a permit to create transitional housing for women with mental health disabilities who recently experienced homelessness.
In 2021, Grandma’s House of Hope – which had already established multiple facilities for women in other parts of Anaheim – was told it needed a conditional use permit (CUP) to house 16 women in an eight-bedroom home in the City’s Colony District after vocal opposition from neighbors. The CUP application was then denied. HCD and the nonprofit filed suit on the grounds that the City violated various state laws by treating transitional housing for formerly homeless women differently from other single-family homes in the same zone.
“Today’s ruling by the court is a victory for the state and should serve as a signal to other jurisdictions that discriminatory and NIMBY policies will not be tolerated,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Transitional homes are a critical tool to address the homelessness crisis on our streets and get people into housing. Communities stubbornly refusing to allow housing for all Californians will ultimately be held accountable.”
The City of Anaheim requires a CUP for transitional or supportive housing for more than six residents, despite being warned by HCD in May 2021 that “imposing separate, more onerous requirements on housing for a protected class” – such as people with disabilities – could constitute discrimination in land use. Today’s ruling confirms HCD’s position and signals to other jurisdictions that discrimination will not stand.
“This ruling is a major win for fair housing, and a warning to those who would stand in the way of housing for those most in need,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “The representatives of the people of California will prevail to protect fair housing. Californians will be housed, and housing discrimination will not be tolerated.”
Today’s court ruling specified that Anaheim violated Housing Element Law, the Housing Accountability Act, the Land Use Anti-Discrimination Law, and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Law. The court declared the City’s illegal permitting rules null and void and set further proceedings to consider whether to impose further remedies.
At today's hearing, the Attorney General's Office represented HCD and Holland & Knight LLP represented Grandma's House of Hope.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking with press
