An adaptive-reuse project in downtown San Diego is providing a new life for a historic hotel as well as 72 homeless individuals.
The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), working with its nonprofit affiliate Housing Development Partners, has converted the Hotel Churchill into furnished affordable rental studios with a wealth of on-site services.
The development provides 56 units for homeless veterans as part of SDHC’s Housing Our Heroes initiative, eight units for transitional-age youths 18 to 25 who have aged out of the foster-care system, and eight units for adults exiting the corrections system. Hotel Churchill residents receive sponsor-based housing vouchers and pay up to 30% of their income toward rent.
With the San Diego region having the fourth-largest homeless population in the nation, the renovation of Hotel Churchill is a key accomplishment for Housing First San Diego, SDHC’s three-year homelessness action plan.
“If you look at Hotel Churchill, it’s not a one-shot deal. It’s part of what we’re developing as a comprehensive approach to deal with the homelessness issue,” says Richard Gentry, SDHC president and CEO.
The historic landmark underwent substantial renovations, including the restoration of the building’s façade and the 1940s-era neon rooftop sign. The building’s seventh floor, which was not part of the original building, was removed and replaced because it was structurally unsafe. In addition, the renovations included a state-of-the-art seismic upgrade.
“It’s now not an eyesore, it’s an asset to the context of San Diego and serving a worthwhile purpose,” says Gentry. “We’ve got a property that is decent, safe, affordable, and is now 103 years old. And it will be there 103 years from now, I have no doubt about it.”
Funding for the $20.6 million rehabilitation, which was completed in August 2016, included city, state, and federal funds as well as grants from The Home Depot Foundation Veteran Housing Grants Program and Las Patronas.
