Spring 2023 Newsletter

By John Gallagher, Hope Solutions Site-Based Clinical Support Services Manager

The Hacienda Heights complex reopened in December 2022 as a new low-income senior living community This property had previously been identified as the worst public housing complex in Richmond. Now, under new ownership from our partner Mercy Housing, it is a shining example of how affordable housing can change lives

Meet Joyce, our first Permanent Supportive Housing resident at Hacienda Heights. In December, she moved into one of the twenty-five apartments designated for individuals 62 years and older meeting HUD's definition of being chronically homeless and having a disability.

Joyce was thrilled to move into her newly furnished apartment One of my key takeaways from the move-in: always remember to stand close to the client as they walk into their new home, just in case it turns into a knee-buckling, "I am going to faint" moment. And it just about did. She kept repeating, "I can't believe this I can't believe this. It's so nice." Joyce went on to say through happy tears, "I've dreamed about this for so long, but then I lost hope that I would ever have a home again. I just don't know what to say."

A Magical Moment: Seniors Move into New Housin HaciendaHeights,Richmond SeniorLivingApartmentComplex

Joyce's parents were from Sicily; her father was a fisherman, and she grew up in an Italian-speaking household "I used to make my own pasta, but it has been so long. I wonder if I can still do it?"

Experiencing one of these magical moments is the best part of my job at Hope Solutions. It’s amazing to watch someone reawaken to life's possibilities when newly housed And I am pleased to report that Joyce does indeed still know how to cook. That plate of home-cooked chicken cacciatore she shared with staff was excellent!

Joyce, age 64, has been homeless since 2016, living in a tent encampment in Martinez and, most recently, at a shelter in Concord She is managing chronic mental and physical health conditions, yet neither seemed to prevent her from experiencing the disorienting joy of the moment.

150 Units: studio, 1br & 2br, six stories Walkable to BART, grocery stores, pharmacy, and hospital Hope Solutions provides services to 25 residents