NEWARK — Newark plans to apply for a $39 million state grant to purchase a hotel in the city and convert it to permanent housing for people who are homeless and those earning very low incomes, the first complex of its kind in the city’s history.
The Newark City Council on Thursday is set to consider the application, which would take advantage of the latest round of funding of California’s landmark Project Homekey, a program aimed at quickly housing thousands of people without shelter across the state. The city also will consider kicking in $6 million of its own money — about $4.5 million from its affordable housing funds, and $1.5 million from its share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Turner said in an interview that because the hotel was only built in 2000, and renovated in 2015, it’s in very good shape, and converting suites with kitchens into permanent apartment units will require minimal work. Roughly half of the apartments would be reserved for people who are homeless, and the other half would be for people who are at risk of homelessness, earning very-low incomes of 30% or less of the area median income. For a single person, 30% of the median is roughly $29,000 annually, and it’s about $41,000 for a family of four.
Chicoine said the people living in the converted apartments would have leases and responsibilities like any other apartment tenant.