A new Anaheim, Calif., affordable housing development is helping Orange County get one step closer to its goal of ending homelessness by 2020.
The 70-unit Rockwood Apartments, developed by nonprofits Jamboree Housing Corp. and Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO), is providing permanent supportive housing with services for formerly homeless residents and people living with mental illness.
“Rockwood is housing 48 families of Anaheim’s approximately 400 homeless families as well as 15 households where at least one resident has a clinical diagnosis of mental health,” says Mary Jo Goelzer, vice president of marketing and communications at Jamboree. “Not only are they permanently housed, they are receiving extensive services, programs, and support to help them remain housed.”
Fifteen units are set aside as permanent supportive housing for residents who receive services through the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). An additional 48 units serve children and their families who are part of the Homeless Assistance Pilot Program, a collaboration between the city of Anaheim, the Anaheim School District, and the Illumination Foundation.
Jamboree and IHO provide a spectrum of resident services that include life-enhancing programming such as homework assistance and tutoring for students and health and wellness resources for families. The MHSA residents also receive supportive services through PACT, an Orange County Health Care Agency program.
Completed in September, Rockwood Apartments is Jamboree’s first in-house construction project. The development includes a 3,000-square-foot community building with a teaching kitchen, a computer lab, and a multipurpose room for resident services. Outdoor amenities include a tot lot, life-sized chess board, exercise stations, and a community garden.
Financing for the $32.2 million development includes HOME funds from the city of Anaheim, MHSA permanent financing from Orange County, and tax credit equity invested by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which also provided permanent financing. The city also provided 48 project-based vouchers.
