Creating Affordable Housing Options in Chico, CA

While operating a seasonal winter shelter at local churches years ago, CHAT co-founder Leslie Johnson recalls learning a lot about the local homeless population, particularly those who lived quite literally on the streets. “The people who tended to come in were older people, middle age people —people who were really fearful and at risk being outside,” Johnson said. Many of them also had disabilities. “We had envisioned mostly men, but there were a lot of women, and a lot of people with health and mobility issues,” she said. What Johnson and other volunteers saw early on tracks with recent national data showing that more than 40 percent of people who live on the streets report having a disabling condition. When CHAT began its master leasing program— renting houses and providing its formerly homeless residents with supportive services—the organization did its best to accommodate each individual’s needs. Doing so with folks with mobility issues was one of the big challenges. Sometimes CHAT sought permission from landlords to make home improvements, but doing so was expensive, and Johnson hoped that, eventually, CHAT could find a more sustainable way forward.

That path revealed itself after many years in the form of CHAT’s plans for a fully accessible housing complex, a project that will largely be funded by a $16.5 million Community Care Expansion (CCE) grant from the state of California intended to help very low income people with disabilities. It started coming together when a generous community member donated a 5-acre parcel in unincorporated west Chico on which to build, as well as much consultation and collaboration with professionals in the development community to help hone the specifics. The result: Plans for a total of 61 units consisting of 50 studios, five one-bedrooms, and six two-bedrooms that will accommodate people who need live-in caregivers. For Johnson, the project is ”a dream come true.” It is the culmination of many years spent adapting CHAT’s programs to fit the community’s needs, an ongoing endeavor. Indeed, CHAT has evolved time and time again to find solutions to the local homeless crisis as the need arises—creating programs to house individuals and families; Chico State and Butte College students; wildfire victims; veterans; and people with mental health diagnoses, including those receiving temporary shelter and Behavioral Health services at Everhart Village. “We’ve really tried to pay attention to who needs services,” Johnson said. “We want to help whoever we can help.” CHAT Director of Finance and Development Sarah Graham concurred. She noted societal changes over the past half-century that have led to major differences in family structure, including more people living alone and wanting to remain independent in their old age. “But home designs have been slower to evolve to our needs while affordability has become a major concern,” Graham said. In fact, recent data show that 56 percent of California renting households are rent burdened—that is, households that spend more than 30 percent of their pre-tax income on rent.

CHAT’s project is designed to eliminate that burden for local aged, lowincome individuals who are homeless—or at risk of becoming so—by providing permanent and appropriate housing that’s affordable. Over the last year, Graham has been focused on raising the funding match attached to the state grant. A few weeks ago, thanks to the generosity of the Chico community, CHAT took in the remainder of the needed $736,000 and is now preparing for groundbreaking. Meanwhile, CHAT will continue fundraising to support internal capacity needed for the expanded operations, as well as fund the additional infrastructure at the site.