Roseville lends $1.5 million to Sun Rose homeless apartments

Roseville green-lighted a $1.5 million loan to fund the Sun Rose Apartments homeless housing project at the former Hampton Inn. The Roseville City Council approved the loan Feb. 5 from the HOME housing fund to the Sun Rose permanent supportive housing project on Douglas Blvd. at Sunrise Ave. next to the freeway. Sun Rose Apartments will include 82 studio units and one manager's unit for people experiencing homelessness and youth at-risk of homelessness, city staff said. Terms of the loan include guaranteed affordable rents for 55 years. Fifty units will be for chronically homeless, 27 units for those experiencing some homelessness and five units for homeless or at-risk youth, according to the report. The former motel is ideally located within a half-mile of public transit, a grocery store, healthcare, pharmacy and youth services. The HOME program was created under the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 to provide decent, affordable housing to lower-income households. The federal funds are allocated by the California Department of Housing and Community Development to qualifying cities. The city of Roseville has $2 million in HOME funds, generated by first-time homebuyer and owner-occupied rehab loan payoffs, staff said. Placer County Health and Human Services established the Hampton Inn on North Sunrise Avenue as a "Project Roomkey" site in 2020. Project Roomkey was part of the state response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing emergency shelter to unhoused people to reduce the strain on hospitals. Governor Gavin Newsom initiated a statewide initiative to convert underused motels to permanent housing facilities. Placer County was awarded $23.5 million in 2021 for acquisition and rehabilitation of the Hampton Inn, staff explained. Placer County advertised and chose Advocates for Mentally Ill Housing, Inc. to own and operate Sun Rose. The agency will provide supportive services on site for the residents, along with Placer County Health and Human Services, Adult System of Care Division. "Although the building is in good condition due to its relatively recent construction, units are currently being renovated to include a kitchenette," staff said in the report. The retrofit will be completed by mid-March, said Roseville Housing Manager Trisha Isom. AMIH is also furnishing units with a double bed, dining table, chairs and living area seating. Existing meeting rooms and offices will become a computer lab and support services, such as an urgent care facility for immediate substance abuse needs, staff said. "AMIH housing has done other apartments here in Roseville and have a good reputation," said Roseville City Council Member Pauline Roccucci. Meanwhile, Placer County is known for having the lowest rate of homelessness in Northern California, and the sixth-lowest out of California's 58 counties, Placer County District 1 Supervisor Bonnie Gore said last year. The nonprofit Homeless Resource Council of the Sierras estimated 700 sheltered and unsheltered homeless in Placer County in 2023 and 2024. Placer County encompasses 1,424 square miles, or 287 people per square mile with a 424,000 total population.