Resident Delaney said living at Bienestar Plaza in Santa Cruz has been a blessing and gives her hope. Learn about HCD-funded Bienestar Plaza, a new affordable housing complex and the community it serves.
“It has been a blessing to have a place to call our own.” This is the sentiment expressed by Delaney, a resident of Bienestar Plaza, a new affordable housing development in Santa Cruz.
HCD joined community leaders and neighbors in celebrating the grand opening of Bienestar Plaza, a mixed-use development that provides housing and health services in one location. The complex has 57 permanent supportive homes and a 20,000 square foot community health center and dental clinic that provides medical, behavioral health, and specialty care, with a focus on pediatric care for residents at the lowest income levels.
A project of MidPen Housing in partnership with Dientes Community Dental and Santa Cruz Community Health, Bienestar Plaza is supported by more than $2.2 million from HCD’s No Place Like Home program. With the passage of Proposition 1, more permanent supportive homes for people experiencing homelessness and in need of behavioral health services are on the horizon.
On-site amenities include a community room with kitchen, a learning center, a multipurpose meeting room, a central courtyard with BBQs and play structures, and a community garden.
Delaney lives with her nephew at Bienestar. She said previously she had been stressed thinking about where they were going to live and how they were going to get by financially. She said living at Bienestar has helped alleviate some of that stress.
“It has been a struggle, but it gives us a lot of hope,” she said.
Watch the video below to hear more from Delaney and to learn more about Bienestar Plaza and the community it serves.
What you need to know: California is providing funding to 52 counties to prevent homelessness by supporting former and current foster youth with housing assistance. Since 2020, the state has provided funds to help serve over 8,000 young people with housing support services through the Transitional Age Youth programs.
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced awards to 52 California counties to provide housing and supportive services to vulnerable young Californians transitioning into adulthood.
What Governor Newsom said: “These grants are critical for helping to connect some of the most vulnerable Californians with access to housing. Many of these young adults don’t have the support of friends or family that most of us take for granted.”
The three Transitional Age Youth (TAY) programs administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) allocate funding to eligible county child welfare agencies to provide housing and services for young adults under 25, with priority given to those currently or formerly in the foster care or probation systems. Since its inception in 2020, TAY has provided stable housing and critical services to more than 5,700 young adults. The $56 million announced today is expected to bring the total of Californians served by TAY to 8,075.
“We know childhood experiences of homelessness can have a devastating impact on educational attainment, economic opportunity, and health throughout adulthood,” said Business Consumer Services and Housing Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “California’s youth deserve every opportunity to succeed. The Transitional Age Youth programs help make that possible by providing our most vulnerable young adults with the safe, stable spaces and tools to build a strong foundation for their futures. The TAY programs also show how when state and local government come together, we can make a brighter future possible for all our communities.”
“Housing stability is the most basic foundation every young person needs to be able to build a better future,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “The young adults assisted by HCD’s TAY programs—especially those aging out of the foster care system—too often have nowhere else to turn and face the very real risk of becoming homeless. This tremendous partnership with our counties helps ensure these young people have the tools and support to allow them not just to survive, but to thrive.”
Based on county reporting data submitted to HCD, the youth served through TAY program funding have identified themselves as experiencing homelessness at program entry, currently in the state’s foster care or probation system, or identifying as LGBTQIA+. Services offered include housing support, wrap-around case management, financial literacy, education and employment assistance, and financial assistance.
Additionally, in an ongoing effort to address homelessness experienced by families with young children, HCD announced the recipients of the second tranche of the Family Homelessness Challenge (FHC) Grant program. The program provides competitive grants and technical assistance to local jurisdictions with the goal of promoting rapid innovation, accelerating nascent programs, and expanding promising practices to create scalable solutions that can be shared across the state to address and ultimately end family homelessness.
More than $15 million has been awarded to the following eight communities:
Visit the TAY Program webpage and the FHC program webpage for more information on HCD’s TAY and FHC programs or today’s awards.
This spring, the City of Alameda officially broke ground on the first phase of the North Housing Master Plan, a 12-acre affordable housing project for seniors, veterans, and formerly homeless individuals in Alameda, California. Phase 1 will include 155 new affordable homes across three developments (The Estuary I, The Estuary II, and Linnet Corner), as part of an ambitious 586-home plan to support low-income residents.
When complete, North Housing will offer both affordable housing and onsite supportive services, including benefits counseling, group and individual therapy, life skills and soft skills training, adult educational programs, and social and recreational activities. Supportive housing such as this is at the heart of Governor Gavin Newsom’s homelessness prevention programs and voter-approved Proposition 1.
“New affordable housing and supportive services have never been more desperately needed,” said California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “Projects like North Housing make a real difference for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, giving them a place to call home and helping them onto a path of stability and prosperity.”
The California Department of Housing and Community Development has supported this project with more that $20 million from the Infill Infrastructure Grant, Multifamily Housing, and Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Programs. A project of the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda, the North Housing Master Plan is located on land previously owned by the U.S. Department of the Navy, allocated for this project by the Surplus Land Act and the Base Closure Act.
New affordable housing has opened in the rural Fresno County community of Huron. Corazón del Valle Commons provides 60 affordable homes for low-income residents, with a focus on providing housing stability to agricultural workers and their families.
“This is big step to help rural, hardworking farm worker families in communities like Huron,” said California State Senator Anna Caballero at the recent grand opening ceremony. “The choice between paying rent and buying food to feed your family is an unconscionable one to ask people to have to make.”
A project of Fresno Housing supported by more than $18 million from HCD’s Multifamily Housing Program and Home Investment Partnerships Program, Corazón del Valle will provide homes for individuals and families earning 30-60% of the Area Median Income.
“This marks an incredible celebration of building housing and building a place where lives will be changed,” said Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing. “In our rural communities across Fresno County, one of the things we are constantly being challenged with is how do we provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for those who are farmworkers. This presents an opportunity for those here in Huron who are involved in the agricultural industry to have access to affordable housing.”
Bertha Fuentes, a resident of Corazón del Valle was handed a ceremonial key and spoke briefly at the grand opening ceremony.
“Thank you for the opportunity. (Having housing) does help us a lot. It is a great help that a lot of residents need. I am really grateful, grateful, grateful,” said Fuentes.
Corazón del Valle is a mixed-use development with commercial and civic space. The complex has a community building and laundry facilities, and outdoor amenities include a barbeque area, a children play area, a half-basketball court, and a community garden. The complex is also climate friendly with sustainable energy solutions including solar paneling.
An affordable housing community for over 30 years, East of Eaton in Chico, California is beginning to show its age. With the help of the Portfolio Reinvestment Program, East of Eaton will be able to have a complete makeover here.
Built in 1906, Sacramento’s historic Sequoia Hotel requires substantial rehabilitation and renovation. With funding from HCD’s Portfolio Reinvestment Program, The Sequoia is being brought back to life as permanent supportive housing here.
Preserving existing affordable homes is vital to addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis. Learn how HCD's Portfolio Reinvestment Program provides strategic investments to help keep HCD-funded properties safe, livable and affordable for years to come. Read more here.
The San Diego community recently celebrated the grand opening of ShoreLINE, a 100-percent affordable housing development primarily serving residents earning 30-60% Area Median Income. This five-story, 124-unit building was developed by Affirmed Housing and provides residents with easy access to the Grantville Transit Center, as well as providing on-site amenities from laundry facilities on every level to a community room and computer lab.
Formerly known as Grantville Trolley Apartments, ShoreLINE was supported with $10 million from HCD’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Housing Program, designed to fund infrastructure improvements and higher-density affordable housing developments within one-quarter mile of transit stations to help meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By providing affordable housing opportunities near public transit, lower-income Californians can more easily access off-site amenities, employment opportunities, and healthcare services.
ShoreLINE was designed to be both a home and a practical means of support for residents, partnering with Compass for Affordable Housing to provide complimentary computer training, resume building resources, health and wellness programs, financial literacy programs, and parenting classes. The property also includes a 5,800-square-foot courtyard with built-in seating, an enclosed tot lot play area, and a barbecue station for families.
