Camarillo moves to convert hotel into housing for growing homeless population
Camarillo is moving to convert an 82-room hotel into a supportive and transitional housing facility to help address the city’s growing homeless population.
If the city secures a grant from the state's Department of Housing and Community Development, it will partner with the county and developer Jamboree Housing Corp. to purchase and renovate the Days Inn hotel on Daily Drive next to Marie Callender's restaurant.
“We’re still at the very beginning stages,” city spokesperson Michelle Glueckert D’Anna said. “This is the start of our journey.”
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved a $3.5 million grant Tuesday contingent on Camarillo getting approved for the upcoming third wave of funding from Project Homekey, the state program to build housing for those experiencing homelessness. The board also approved $5.5 million to transform the La Quinta Inn in Ventura into 136 units of supportive housing.
Camarillo may contribute about $5.4 million of its own money for the project, though that number could fluctuate, said Alonso Ramirez, a Camarillo senior management analyst. The total project is estimated to cost about $32 million, Ramirez said. He expects the facility to be operational by the end of 2024.
The city is still determining the amount of funds it intends to apply for when the state opens the application period in the coming weeks.
About 80% of the units will be permanent supportive housing or apartments that tenants can lease for 30% of their monthly income and who receive social services, Ramirez said. The remaining 20% of the units will be dedicated to transitional or short-term temporary shelter.
Ramirez added the percentage of supportive and transitional units may change depending on the need.
Camarillo will work together with the county to identify homeless people or those at risk of becoming homeless who should apply for the housing. No walk-up services will be offered.
The City Council approved an agreement with Jamboree, a nonprofit housing developer out of Irvine, last week for the conversion of the facility into housing and the creation of an on-site navigation center.
“The vexing problem of homelessness demands creative thinking,” Mayor Susan Santangelo said in a news release.
She described it as a rare chance to pool public resources to offer services and housing to the "community's most vulnerable residents."
Preliminary numbers for the 2023 homeless count, a point-in-time survey of the county’s homeless population, showed there are 66 homeless people in Camarillo, city staff said in the news release. That’s a 43% increase from the 2022 survey.
The city and Jamboree are reaching out to residents and business owners in the area of the planned facility to inform them of the project and answer questions. Public forums are also planned, but the city has yet to set a time and date.
To learn more about the project, visit cityofcamarillo.org/homelessness.
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Camarillo hopes to convert hotel into supportive, transitional housing
