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Vida Nueva in Rohnert Park – A New Kind of Home

Vida Nueva: Permanent Supportive Housing for Families—A New Kind of Home Vida Nueva will bring new affordable rental homes to 24 families in Rohnert Park. Affordable permanent supportive housing is a best practice to end the cycle of homelessness with positive impacts in the areas of health, employment, mental health, and substance abuse by providing permanent, independent, affordable housing for people with disabilities who have been homeless or at risk of homelessness. Supportive services are provided as part of the normal operation as a way of helping residents improve their lives and the lives of their family members by helping them to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, stability, and participation in the general community. A majority of the units are planned as units where at least one adult resident will have one or more disabilities (such as a developmental disability, a chemical dependency, a mental illness, or a physical disability) in addition to being homeless, or at risk of homelessness. The other units may house special needs households who have been homeless, or are at risk of homelessness, including single-parent households, or survivors of domestic abuse. The project will primarily serve families with extremely low and very low incomes, or people who, on average, earn $15,800 to $33,800 a year. The City of Rohnert Park committed $1.675 million to this project. Additional funding includes $2 million from the Supportive Housing Component of the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Multifamily Housing Program, approximately $387,000 HOME funds from the County of Sonoma Community Development Commission, and $161,000 from Federal Home Loan Bank’s AHP program. The Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) will directly provide support services as well as coordinate with other local providers. Linked services will be included in the menu of opportunities for residents to achieve greater social and economic self-sufficiency. Vida Nueva residents will also benefit from the thoughtful and sustainable design that encourages a sense of community. Situated on a pie-shaped site, the buildings are designed around The Green, an open community space in the center, designed to help residents feel protected, particularly because many residents will have lived without the security of a home. The rich landscape of The Green will include bio-swale areas that simultaneously provide green space and detention of storm water to reduce flooding and filtering of storm water, helping to keep the adjacent Laguna clean. The housing units, which are arrayed around The Green, include 4 one-bedroom units with 650 sf of living area, 10 two-bedroom units with 800 sf of living area, and 10 three-bedroom units with 1,100 sf of living area. The 1- and 2-bedroom units are two-story stacked flats with private interior stairways for the upstairs units and every unit has a front door at grade. The 3-bedroom units are two story townhouse designs. All units have private yards or balconies. The two- and three-bedroom units have washer-dryer hookups and dishwashers. All units will be equipped with energy efficient features including tankless water heaters for hot water and space heating. There will be play areas for children and the attractive 2,300 square foot Common House will include activity and counseling rooms as well as a laundry facility and on-site management and supportive services offices. Vida Nueva reflects the thoughtful commitment of the project team, where the results of comprehensive and compassionate planning will provide housing and supportive services to help these families in our community live and succeed as part of our community. Across the country, permanent supportive housing has proven to be overwhelmingly successful. The ultimate goal at Vida Nueva is to have each person and family begin new lives living at the highest quality possible.