By Brooklynn Wong
Permanent supportive housing is an Orange County buzzword these days, and Buena Park may soon get some at the old Commonwealth Airport Inn.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council defines permanent supportive housing as “a model that combines low-barrier affordable housing, health care, and supportive services to help individuals and families lead more stable lives.”
It is an attempt to transition people out of homelessness in the hopes that the additional services provided will give them a better shot at maintaining their housed status.
The Commonwealth Airport Inn, at 8180 Commonwealth Ave., close to the Fullerton Municipal Airport, just off Beach Boulevard, is a motel that has seen better days.
And the Jamboree Housing Corporation, an Irvine-based group that specializes in building affordable housing, has some new ideas for the old motel.
As presented by Buena Park city staff and representatives from Jamboree in a study session at this Tuesday’s City Council Meeting, the Commonwealth Airport Inn may just be a strong contender for a permanent supportive housing site.
Jamboree hopes to acquire and develop the property into this type of housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness.
A Jamboree representative presented research, suggesting that housing people in facilities like this is more cost-effective than having them on the street in the city. He also said that permanent supportive housing creates greater long-term stability.
The Commonwealth Airport Inn would house 59 Buena Park residents.
Jamboree is one of California’s leaders in permanent supportive housing, and they cited The Studios at Hotel Berry in Sacramento as one of their successes.
People here at the Buena Park site would be housed each in their own units, with a kitchenette, and one central common area for all.
Though estimates are preliminary at this point, $17 million was the number given for the cost of the entire project. Jamboree does not know yet whether they would require the city to shoulder some of this cost; they would be applying for outside funding to cover it, but the Jamboree representative admitted that the money they are going after is competitive.
City Council Member Beth Swift was enthusiastic about the prospective project, saying, “I think this is just a great idea…I’m highly in favor of it.”
Mayor Art Brown was absent, so Mayor Pro Tem Fred Smith was leading the meeting. He expressed some concerns that Jamboree would later come back and say they would need the city to chip in to cover some of the cost. He said regarding the homelessness crisis, Buena Park is already “stepping up to the plate,” building a homeless shelter in the city limits that will service the entire North Service Planning Area. Smith said the city’s primary concern right now should be making sure it can cover the costs of the homelessness projects already underway before adding anything new. He expressed measured support for the concept, but was concerned about the cost.
When the Council asked about the costs in time and money of repurposing the Commonwealth Airport Inn rather than building new permanent supportive housing, the Jamboree representative said that there will be financial savings though they will be small, but the time saved will be substantial. He said a lot of work will need to be done at the old motel, so they would end up only spending approximately 25% less than they would spend if they were building a new facility. But it will obviously take less time to convert an existing building than it would to build a new one.
The four present Council members all gave the thumbs-up to move forward with the project for now, though Mayor Pro Tem Smith reiterated that he wants the group to look to sources other than the city to cover the cost.
The Buena Park City Council will next meet on July 9 at 5 p.m.
