meet the demand. These barriers can mean that some projects take five to seven years from inception to completion. “One of our frustrations is we can’t solve for ‘X’ overnight just to—boom—have housing,” Zappettini said. “We do our best to accelerate it as quickly as possible.” That’s where partnerships, like the one behind Creekside Place, which involve multiple agencies pooling resources and expertise, are crucial, Zappettini said. “Once you see people moving in and then you get to hear their stories, it validates why you do all that work, and that’s the cool thing,” she said. “’Cause there’s no reason to do all this … without knowing that you’re really touching people’s lives and creating shelter and stabilization, and they’re going to personalize it to be the home that they want.” □
WEEKLY DOSE
Handheld therapy Seeking a counselor for mental health maintenance can be a pricey endeavor—the average cost for an hour-long therapy appointment is about $100. The cost of mental health care can shut out a large segment of the population, but a new trend in therapy might bring change. There are now upward of 10,000 downloadable mental health apps available for users to receive meditation guidance, telepsychiatry, online therapy, symptom tracking and management. This approach to self-care is new, and though experts emphasize that the results have yet to be tested, the potential for these apps to provide effective mental health assistance to those who haven’t had access is hopeful. Because the pool of apps is so large and unregulated, experts suggest looking for clinically backed apps and those that have been well-studied. Apps aren’t meant to replace clinicians as much as work in conjunction with them, so do your research and explore your options. Source: Healthline
CN&R will NeveR CoNtaCt a meRChaNt to puRChase a Best of plaque
get to this point, including a general plan amendment and rezone for the property to be used for affordable housing (originally it was intended for a community park). And Creekside Place, a $47 million project, still isn’t fully funded. Many applications for funding will be submitted in 2020 to amass what’s needed to bring it to fruition, said Marie Demers, the housing manager for the city of Chico. So far, the partners have secured over $4 million from local, state and federal sources. Zappettini said affordable housing projects, like Creekside Place, face many barriers along the way to development, including securing land, highly competitive and restrictive funding and increasing construction costs, especially with the tremendous need to rebuild post-Camp Fire and a shortage of qualified construction workers to
All first place winners of CN&R’s Best of receive a plaque for fRee
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680 Mangrove Ave, Chico 530-893-0808 M-F 9–8 | SAT 9–7 | SUN 10–5
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December 12, 2019
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