The Chula Vista City Council will consider purchasing a motel to house unsheltered residents Tuesday. If approved, the Palomar Motel on Walnut Avenue would become a permanent supportive housing project.
Chula Vista city officials said there are 31 units there. The city would use federal and state dollars to purchase and renovate the property. City staff estimates the cost would be around $14 million. Federal money would come from American Recovery Program Act (ARPA) funds, while state dollars could come from California's Homekey program — designed to spur more housing. Chula Vista officials would need to apply for state funding by July 28, but mayor John McCann said the ARPA money is already secured.
"We are looking to leverage 'Homekey' funds from the state and ARPA funds from the federal government — which wouldn’t touch our general fund," McCann said. "In addition this (motel) is in an industrial area, so it wouldn't interfere with any of the local neighborhoods, and it gives us an opportunity to get the homeless off the street. Our focus is to be able to do this in a cost-effective, innovative way."
A staff report prepared for the Chula Vista City Council said if Homekey funds cannot be secured, ARPA money could be used to pay for all the costs to rehab and purchase the motel. The report also said the owner of the Palomar Motel approached the city about purchasing the property. The report said permanent supportive housing is needed to continue addressing homelessness.
"While the opening of the city’s emergency bridge shelter is an important step in moving unsheltered persons toward self-sufficiency, it does not provide a long-term solution for those that are ready for permanent housing and in need of a greater level of ongoing services and support,” the report said.
The residents would be connected with services including health care, treatment and employment assistance. McCann said step one is buying the facility and then holding a request for proposals for a site operator.
Pedro Ibáñez, who lives near the motel and does maintenance work there, said there are times when the motel does not look very busy.
"If we can help — why not," Ibanez said about the potential to turn the property into supportive housing. "That way it’s going to be good for the community."
The motel’s conversion would be in two parts. The first phase involves renovating rooms to have full bathrooms and kitchenettes. Phase two would repurpose the land currently being used by a towing company into a safe parking lot to give people living in their vehicles access to services and restrooms.
