From ActionNewsNow.com
CHICO, Calif. — The Chico Housing Action Team celebrated the opening of Builders’ Village, a new community designed to help those experiencing homelessness and living with disabilities. Action News Now reporter Emilio Del Carpio attended the grand opening and ribbon cutting.
The project features 61 units waiting on final touches for completion. Kayla Rushing, fundraising and communications manager for the Chico Housing Action Team, said the biggest piece missing is connection to PG&E.
“They need to cross the highway so we’re waiting on Caltrans to set that up,” Rushing said.
Three years of planning, a year of construction, grants and a lot of moving parts went into the project. Rushing said it’s been a long road for CHAT in its effort to address homelessness through permanent housing like Builders’ Village.
The community has 61 units, with a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. They include kitchenettes and ADA-accessible bathrooms.
“Each bedroom has its own closet and HVAC system to help keep things cool. Every unit will have their own backyard so that folks can have space for their pets or enjoy the outdoors in privacy,” Rushing said.
Rushing said CHAT estimates it will cost around $500,000 a year to operate Builders’ Village, mostly all self-sustained. According to the California State Auditor, one person experiencing homelessness can cost the state about $42,000 a year in program funding.
CHAT hopes permanent supportive housing can help reduce some of those costs while giving people a place to call home. Rushing said intake forms for Builders’ Village should go live on CHAT’s website next week.
Founded in 2013, the Chico Housing Action Team housed 267 people last year.
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