On Thursday afternoon, those attending the grand opening ceremony of the $8 million, 26-studio Gilroy Sobrato Apartments had the chance to visit the property and take a peek at the brand new building that boasts energy efficient and environmentally friendly features.
Located at 9389 Monterey Road and made possible through multi-agency funding at the city, county and state levels, the Gilroy Sobrato Apartments have been a work in progress for nearly three years and are the first of their kind in South County. The residential building situated on 1.75 acres is dedicated solely to providing permanent – not temporary or transitional – housing for chronically homeless individuals. The facility will also provide full case management to 25 tenants through St. Joseph’s Family Center and Community Solutions, two leading social service agencies that now have a permanent satellite office on the property. The apartment studios, half of which are already occupied, are built to accommodate single occupants.
Presented by the nonprofit community development corporation called South County Housing, Thursday’s ceremony was a touching event for the many people who poured much time and love into the project.
“This is a very emotional day for me,” said Maria Skoczylas, who serves as the secretary on South County Housing’s Board of Directors. “I want to thank everyone at South County Housing for carrying out the mission of our organization every single day. This project has truly been a collaborative effort.”
Project funders include the County of Santa Clara, State of California’s Prop 63 Mental Health Services Act and Multifamily Housing Program, the City of Gilroy and Community Housing Capital. Development costs for the project totaled $8 million, with $4 million funded by the State of California Mental Health Services Act. Tenants pay 30 percent of whatever income they make towards rent for their studio apartment. All tenants may live at the property as long as they continue to meet income guidelines and follow property house rules.
“These new apartments are just the beginning in enabling increased stability and recovery from homelessness, and to continuing to provide support and services in our area,” declared District 1 Supervisor Mike Wasserman in a speech to the roughly 75 people in attendance.
Andy Lief, South County Housing’s Director of Housing Development, was praised by his colleagues as “the mastermind behind the project.” South County Housing’s president and CEO, Dennis Lalor, called the property “Andy’s success” and credited him with keeping the project alive.
The site was originally approved in 2002 to be a 140-bed emergency shelter, but the project was halted due to a lack of operating funds from EHC LifeBuilders, a network of Silicon Valley shelters that provides emergency shelter options, housing opportunities and supportive services to people in crisis.
The property was eventually transferred to South County Housing, whose goal was to develop permanent housing for homeless individuals in the area. In 2011, the City of Gilroy City Council approved 25 units of permanent housing to be built for homeless individuals, plus one manager’s unit.
With the help of Santa Cruz-based Bright Green Strategies, which specializes in energy efficient building design and planning, the Gilroy Sobrato Apartments are LEED Platinum Certified. This means they were designed, constructed and operate in environmentally and socially responsible ways.
The property is equipped with photovoltaic panels and solar thermal hot water, which is expected to offset approximately 90 percent of energy usage, according to Lief. All construction base of the property is 100 percent recycled content from local suppliers; all appliances are energy star rated; the insulation in the walls and ceiling is cellulose recycled content; and the property is built with low-VOC building materials. VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, and other hazardous chemicals are contained in many construction materials and furnishings and pose a risk to the general population, especially children, according to cleanaircounts.org.
The Sobrato Apartments also offer extensive brand new amenities, including outdoor recreation facilities, an exercise center, reading room and TV lounge. The apartments are situated next to South County Housing’s Sobrato Transitional Apartments, which were constructed in 2006 and serve as temporary housing for families for up to two-and-a-half years.
At the grand opening, Gilroy Mayor Don Gage praised the dedication and heart of those involved in the project, and spoke about the initial skepticism that people in the community felt at the beginning of the building process.
“We needed to help the community understand that these are just people who need help. They could have once been your neighbors who are now facing hardships,” Gage said. “These people need to have permanent housing in order to be a real part of our community.”
It’s estimated that there are 7,000 homeless individuals in South County, according to Executive Director David Cox with St. Joseph’s.
The apartments are maintained and managed by South County Housing’s property management division. The process of finding eligible candidates begins with individuals being referred through the county’s mental health system. To be eligible to live in an apartment, the candidate must have some type of disability, and must also be characterized as “chronically homeless” through a collaborative process involving EHC LifeBuilders, St. Joseph’s and Community Solutions. The latter two nonprofits continue working with tenants to provide them with needed services and support.
“My main job is to help the tenants to reconnect with their community,” explained Melina Garcia, Lead Case Manager with St. Joseph’s Family Center. “The tenants just began moving in two weeks ago, so thus far I’ve been working to get them settled into their apartment life here. I’m here to help them with everything from basic needs such as getting routine check-ups at the doctor and dentist, to supporting them in determining what their goals and interests are, and to provide any type of social services they can benefit from.”
The apartment building is named in honor of The Sobrato Organization, a private family foundation committed to “building a strong and vibrant Silicon Valley Community through business and philanthropic leadership,” according to its website.
“The generosity of the Sobrato Fund means the world to us,” said Cox.
Cox also spoke of the role of St. Joseph’s will play at the Gilroy Sobrato Apartments, as case managers will place an emphasis on creating a sense of community and giving people the opportunity to climb out of whatever hardships they’ve been facing.
“We aim to work with the tenants in a passionate and dignified way, and to tailor our services to the needs of every individual living here,” Cox said.
