A former Best Western motel has reopened in downtown Sacramento after being converted into permanent homeless housing, offering nearly 100 residents the chance at a fresh start.
Sacramento Central Studios at H and 12th streets is the city’s third motel-conversion project funded by the state’s Homekey initiative and the first downtown. The others are in South Sacramento and Natomas, while Sacramento County recently approved two similar projects.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration launched the multi-billion program during the pandemic with the goal of creating thousands of stable housing units for homeless residents.
Formerly unhoused resident Mike Pollard said he moved into the new community when it opened in November after spending much of the pandemic living in his pickup.
He said he’d been evicted from his childhood home in Rancho Cordova and had nowhere to go.
The 66-year-old said the transition hasn’t always been easy. There are rules to follow: Residents can’t hang anything on the walls that would leave a mark. And all guests must check in at the front desk.
Still, he said, having one’s own place has its perks.
“My bed’s like an acre and a half. My shower’s the best shower I’ve ever had in my life,” Pollard said during an interview at the housing complex. “It’s just such a difference from living down at the park.”
Margie Johnson (left) and Michael Pollard moved into Sacramento Central Studios in November. The converted Best Western motel at H and 12th streets in downtown offers permanent housing for formerly homeless residents.Chris Nichols / CapRadio
The housing community took two years to complete and like other affordable housing projects, it wasn’t cheap, something critics have increasingly called out.
Altogether, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency spent $7.4 million while Homekey provided $23.9 million for a total of $31.3 million, according to a city news release.
Most of the renovation consisted of adding kitchenettes to each of the 92 units, the vast majority of which are occupied by a single resident.
Homekey pays local governments to purchase and transform hotels and motels into long-term housing. Cities and counties, meanwhile, pay for services from meals to laundry to mental health care for residents.
At Sacramento Central Studios, the overall cost amounts to more than $340,000 per unit.
“Projects like this always get dinged for their high price-tag per unit, but part of what we’re building into that price tag is services for the next many decades,” said Sacramento City Council member Katie Valenzuela, who has advocated for permanent homeless housing in the central city.
Kanisha Golden, a spokesperson for SHRA, provided information about the project and helped connect CapRadio with its residents, but declined an interview request.
When asked to respond to criticisms over the project’s high cost and what the agency is doing to ensure funds are spent efficiently, Golden said in a written statement: “Costs are related to the 24 hours property management and intense case management/resident services. Annual Audited Financial Statements are prepared and reviewed.”
Sacramento Central Studios at H and 12th streets is the city’s third motel-conversion project funded by the state’s Homekey initiative and the first downtown.Chris Nichols/CapRadioAdvocates for Sacramento’s unhoused community argue projects like Sacramento Central Studios are well worth the cost, if they can keep people housed and provide effective services.
“It keeps us off the street,” noted Margie Johnson, 67, who moved from motel to motel during the pandemic before securing her apartment at the new complex. “There’s a lot of us that do appreciate it, you know. So, it’s needed.”
All residents at Sacramento Central Studios have a federal Housing Choice Voucher which allows them to pay 30% of their income in rent, while SHRA pays the rest, according to the housing agency.
Less than two months after opening, all but two of the 92 units are occupied, said Ayanna Robertson, property manager at the studios. She said the remaining units are spoken for and will be filled this week.
To be eligible for an apartment, individuals must be homeless and referred by the nonprofit Sacramento Steps Forward.
Residents Johnson and Pollard said they’re grateful for the stability and services offered at the new community. They also said they’d like to secure their own larger apartments in the future.
“This is like a stepping stone to a better place,” Johnson added.
Contact CapRadio reporter Chris Nichols at [email protected]
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