National CORE Receives $7.7M Funding for Affordable Housing Renovations in Cathedral City, California

by Jeff Shaw

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — National Community Renaissance (National CORE) has received $7.7 million in funding for planned renovations to Cathedral Palms Senior Apartment Homes in Cathedral City, approximately 120 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The property is one of the organization’s oldest affordable housing communities. Ever since acquiring this community in 1996, National CORE has been developing plans to revitalize the 1950s-era development. “This renovation has been in the works for years,” says Steve PonTell, National CORE’s president and CEO.

Funding sources for the redevelopment include the State of California’s HCD/No Place Like Home program, which awarded the County of Riverside and National CORE $7.7 million for 68 units of permanent supportive housing. The Housing Authority of the County of Riverside is providing 74 project-based vouchers, and Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health is providing behavioral health and substance abuse services for residents living in the supportive housing units. Additional funding partners include the City of Cathedral City, JPMorgan Chase and Red Stone Equity Partners.

The project will include a major renovation of all 224 apartments, with 68 homes set-aside for supportive housing, funded in part by the State of California’s HCD/No Place Like Home Program, as part of its efforts to mitigate the growing homelessness crisis in the Coachella Valley. In addition, a 3,500-square-foot community center will be built to serve as a hub for resident services and activities.

Construction has begun and will continue in phases to minimize disruption to existing residents, including temporary relocation coordinated by National CORE’s in-house relocation team. Construction is scheduled for completion by late 2021.

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