Oxnard eyes 55-room Del Playa Hotel for supportive housing facility
Oxnard is planning to convert a 55-room hotel into a permanent supportive housing facility to address the city’s growing homeless population.
The City Council unanimously approved an application for a $17.6 million grant Tuesday from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development for the acquisition of Del Playa Inn Hotel in south Oxnard at 711 W. Hueneme Road.
“There’s only so much funding, but we’re going to try like heck to help those (homeless individuals),” Mayor John Zaragoza said Wednesday.
The Ventura County Continuum of Care recorded 838 homeless men, women and children in Oxnard during its annual homeless count in January. That number has steadily increased every year since 2018, when it stood at 335.
If the city secures the Project Homekey grant, it will partner will the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. to refurbish the hotel into 53 supportive housing rooms with kitchenettes and bathrooms plus two manager’s units, staff said in a report.
The development corporation would also build a homeless service center that will offer onsite amenities and services. Commonly referred to as a “day drop-in center,” the facility will provide showers, restrooms, laundry facilities and storage to the area’s homeless population.
The grant would cover a majority of the $24 million project, with the city pitching in about $2.5 million. The remaining costs would be covered by the development corporation and private entities, staff said.
Camarillo and Ventura are also applying for funding for their own permanent supportive housing projects in the upcoming third wave of Project Homekey money .
Camarillo is hoping to secure funding to purchase and convert the 82-room Days Inn hotel on Daily Drive. Ventura is planning to transform the La Quinta Inn on Valentine Road into 136 units of supportive housing.
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: Oxnard eyes 55-room hotel for supportive housing
