A Californian church has dedicated a portion of their land to aiding the homeless.
The problems of homelessness seem to grow increasingly worse every day – at least in the state of California. Now, some members of the churches in the Bay Area think they may have a grasp on a solution for those who are going through this epidemic.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Walnut Creek has been providing food and support for local homeless people for over six years. But even when they first started doing this, they knew more was needed.
“We started looking for housing for people and found out there wasn’t any,” said St. Paul’s Trinity Center Executive Director Donna Colombo. “That’s how this project began.”
The project is called St. Paul’s Commons. It’s a four-story building that is being constructed adjacent to the church. Homeless services will be provided on the first floor, and up above, there are 44 studio and one-bedroom apartments for low-income single adults and couples.
RCD, a nonprofit developer specializing in affordable housing will handle the construction and management of the complex. However, the true godsend is the land the church is offering.
“The churches have a lot of good space and big parking lots,” said Colombo. “St. Paul’s has been here over 100 years.”
Reverend Krista Fregoso of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church said, “We really hope that this will be a model moving forward, that other faith communities will take what we’ve done and replicate it in their own community.”
And that’s exactly what’s happening. Churches in Santa Rosa, East Palo Alto, San Jose and Oakland are all working to build affordable housing on their surplus properties. It’s what government says is needed despite having regulations that often discourage private developers from even trying.
“I think what the difference is, is that we are a community of faith and we do have the faith that this will happen,” said Colombo. “It might be hard, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it.”
Colombo says the helpfulness of these residences will extend far beyond those who inhabit these units. The compounding of these living spaces will impact families and provide them with a solid foundation.
“It will change the world for 44 to 90 people. And if we keep doing more 44 units and more 44 units and more 44 units, it will spark something perhaps. So yes, it will change the world, I believe,” said Colombo.
If all goes according to plan, construction could be finished by October with the first tenants moving in by November.
The project will cost about $23 million with most of that coming from state and local grants and credits and private loans secured by the developer.
