SANTA ANA, CA—Creative thinking and smart partnering are helping Community Development Partners convert a blighted, two-story, 77-unit motel here into permanent housing for chronically homeless and mentally ill people living in Santa Anta's Civic Center, president Kyle Paine and CEO Eric Paine tell GlobeSt.com. The Orchard (formerly known as Guest House), the firm's most recent and current development, is a permanent supportive-housing project exclusively for 71 individuals and families that meet these criteria. The $18-million project, located at 2151 E. 1^st St., which unites a diverse group of organizations and service providers, is the City of Santa Ana's largest single investment in housing that addresses the homeless crisis facing much of Orange County.

The rehabilitated development, which will feature 72 units (including one manager's unit), consists of 58 studio and 14 one-bedroom units dispersed throughout five two-story buildings. Upgrades include all-new unit interiors, on-site resident services and property-management offices, an outdoor courtyard, a laundry room, resident computers for Internet access and printing, a large outdoor community garden and learning cente and a guava and orange orchard. Additionally, the current leasing office and one unit from the former motel are being transformed into a 1,200 square-foot commercial kitchen and dining room, which will be operated by a non-profit that will provide meals for residents at little or no cost and create onsite job training opportunities.

The development of the Orchard has created a unique partnership, bringing together a mission-driven private company (CDP), non-profit organizations Mercy House, the Ecology Center and Integrity Housing) and a public entity (the City of Santa Ana). The team will provide permanent supportive housing utilizing a Housing First model for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Housing First is a housing approach that assists people experiencing homelessness in finding and maintaining housing as quickly as possible, removing typical barriers to entry. Stable housing is seen as the foundation that allows individuals to pursue other health and independence goals. PSH is a combination of housing and services for people who need support to maintain housing. Services may include case management, substance abuse counseling and assistance with locating necessary community services. Housing First and PSH have been successfully used on a national scale as two complementary tools for ending chronic homelessness.