Former Foster Youth Will Finally Have a Home

Latest Homekey development will consist of 43 units for transitional age youth.

SAN JOSE, CA, USA, November 16, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — In honor of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, community partners will gather to celebrate the transformation of the Pavilion Inn. The former hotel, located in central San Jose, will soon be converted into an affordable, supportive housing community designed specifically for transitional age youth (those between 18 and 24) emerging from foster care or currently experiencing homelessness. The consortium behind the transformation—Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing, the City of San Jose, the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, and Jamboree Housing Corporation—will hold a media event commemorating the hotel’s upcoming metamorphosis on Thursday, November 16th.

Situated on a 1.15-acre parcel, the Pavilion Inn will provide a total of 43 studio and one-bedroom apartment homes, a permanent supportive housing community designed especially for this at-risk population. The goal: to provide stable housing at a critical stage to help young adults moving on from the foster care system become self-sufficient and avoid falling into a lifetime of homelessness.

“We are honored to join our partners today to recognize National Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month at The Pavilion Inn,” says Josh Selo, CEO of Bill Wilson Center. “Bill Wilson Center is committed to working with the community to expand housing opportunities for youth, young adults, and families who are experiencing homelessness. The Pavilion Inn will provide critical housing support for transitional age youth with supportive services aimed to create long-term stability and independence.”

Jamboree President and CEO Laura Archuleta explains, “This is a particularly vulnerable group. Providing these young people a lifeline to housing and services now is an investment not only in their future, but in the future health of our own community.”

Besides the fully furnished residential apartments, residents will also find a host of supportive services on site, including employment and mental health counseling as well as basic food support. Three units are reserved for peer mentors with their own experience in the foster care system who will provide valuable guidance and support.

The adaptive reuse of the Pavilion Inn was made possible through a unique collaborative effort from multiple agencies, including pivotal state funding from the state’s Project Homekey and project-based vouchers from the Santa Clara County Housing Authority. “We are humbled and compelled to be here today with our partners to recognize one of the most vulnerable unhoused groups on our streets in our community: our youth,” says Preston Prince, Executive Director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority. “The Housing Authority is committed to implementing a collective impact approach, exemplified by the partnership here, that will make a meaningful difference for homeless youth. We look forward to welcoming home the future residents of the Pavilion Inn—a place where they will receive support and the opportunity to live as their authentic selves in a safe environment.”

Construction to transform the Pavilion Inn is underway and expected to be complete in the summer of 2024.

Erin
PRxDigital
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