The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

City takes step to alleviate housing 'crisis' for disabled

Complex will be the largest in area

By Justin Berton

City councilmembers approved $1.2 million to build a housing project for developmentally disabled residents from Sunnyvale and surrounding communities at their April 28 meeting.

The 23-unit complex on the corner of Mathilda and California Avenues will break ground by the end of summer and house 40 residents.

The low-income housing development will alleviate what Director of Community Development David Boesch called a "housing crisis for individuals with disabilities."

Chris Block, the division director for Catholic Charities who worked on the project for the past year, said people that are developmentally disabled earn an average of $900 per month, usually on a fixed income. The market rate for a one-bedroom apartment in the county, he said, is $1,000.

"This is the first generation of developmentally disabled people that will outlive their parents," Block said. "Because of medicine and health care, people with disabilities are living longer, and they often need independent housing."

Block said Catholic Charities is working on similar housing projects in surrounding counties, but the Sunnyvale complex will be the largest of its kind in the area.

Block and his group were able to secure 80 percent of a HUD 811 grant--$1.8 million worth--for this project alone, the largest payout in all of Nevada and Northern California.

The grant money will allow residents at the complex to pay only 30 percent of their monthly income for rent, bringing the cost of some two-bedroom units down to as low as $240.

Block was commended by Councilmember Pat Vorreiter for being able to gather funding from 13 different agencies and neighboring cities for the $3.9 million project.

"These funds are earmarked for these kinds of services," Vorreiter said. "It's a good use of these dollars."

Sunnyvale city staffers did some creative maneuvering to free up a combination of federal and city housing funds without tapping the city's general fund.

Of the $1.2 million, $780,000 will come from federal funds for housing in Sunnyvale, and the rest will come from the city's housing-mitigation funds.

Block expects to receive five applications for every one space available in the coming months.

The complex will include a community room, a landscaped courtyard and a unit for a building manager. A local agency will be hired to provide specialized services to the residents.

The centrally located site will be convenient to shopping and public transportation, Block said.

Before the site can be cleared for development, the existing structure, which is designated a "heritage resource" building, must be relocated or destroyed.

Boesch said the city plans to relocate the building, as specified under city code, but has yet to determine whether the building can bear the stress of moving.

The only other concern councilmembers voiced regarding the project was the possible parking crunch the site could bring to the area. The developers were granted a special use permit to design only 27 parking spaces rather than the 37 required by law.

Block told the council most of the residents would not be driving, and the complex could therefore sustain a smaller parking lot without adding traffic to neighboring streets.

Mayor Jim Roberts quipped, "Will you promise before God and everybody here there is not going to be a parking problem?"

Block replied, "Except for an occasional successful Christmas party when everybody's families come."

The project should be completed by spring 1999, Block said.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 6, 1998.
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