As early as next spring, homeless people with mental illnesses could have a new place to live.
The Valley View Apartments would be located behind the Torres Shelter near the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds and provide 14 units of housing as well as supportive services and skills training to its residents.
The city of Chico's Finance Committee has approved some lease and financing components. Further approvals are still needed from the City Council, Butte County Board of Supervisors and state agencies.
The proposal meets the city's housing goals and serves one of its most vulnerable populations, said City Housing Manager, Marie Demers.
"It's a small step toward solutions for assisting that population. Nobody is under the illusion that 14 units is going to solve it all, but it's a step in the right direction," Demers said.
The project was originally presented in 2011 as part of a Torres Shelter expansion project, with the vision the two would be developed simultaneously, but was put on hold during the economic downturn.
Project Architect Kurt Jorgensen, with Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto Architects, said he has positioned each two-story, four-unit pods offset from one another, all with slightly different colors.
“The complex sort of reveals itself,” he said. “You experience a little bit of it at a time as you move in and through the site.”
If built, it would have 14 one-bedroom units and a two-bedroom management unit, as well as a community room, computer labs, laundry area and other amenities.
With the support of Butte County Department of Behavioral Health and North Valley Catholic Social Services, the apartments would incorporate case management, vocational and job training, educational opportunities and peer connections. Tenants who represent the lowest income bracket will pay $225 a month to live there.
Northern Valley Catholic Social Service Housing Manager Bobbi Sawtelle said the project should start taking in tenants in spring of 2017.
She said North Valley Catholic Social Service has helped provide housing for people with mental illnesses for many years, which has had a really positive impact their lives and those of their loved ones.
“There are so many stories that we have and this is the first home they’ve had; the first opportunity for independent living and to manage their lives,” she said. “They are so grateful for that and that’s always very satisfying.”
The project relies on $44,800 in Community Development Block Grant funds, $266,000 in city Home Investment Partnership loan funds, $1.5 million in Mental Health Services Act dollars, and about $3.5 million in low-income tax credit proceeds.
The goal of the project is to help those struggling with mental illnesses and homelessness to be more self-sufficient, said Jeremy Wilson, community services program manager for Butte County. The homeless count earlier this year revealed 23 percent of the roughly 1,500 homeless people in the county identified as having a mental illness.
"The goal of the wellness and recovery model is that individuals feel empowered and that they have a voice in their treatment and their future," Wilson said.
