Elderberry Commons almost ready for tenants
29 units offer permanent housing for the County's homeless
Construction is expected to be completed this month on Elderberry Commons, which will become a new permanent supportive housing complex behind Gravenstein Station in Sebastopol. After having been empty for almost two years, Elderberry Commons will be ready for 29 tenants in January .
In December 2020, the County bought the former Sebastopol Inn for $6.3M with State funding under Project Homekey. Elderberry Commons served as temporary housing for the most vulnerable among the homeless following Covid. As funding for that program ran out, the residents were re-located and the title of the property was transferred to Burbank Housing, which has managed the conversion of the facility, which required adding a kitchnette to each unit, allowing it to qualify for federal dollars as permanent supportive housing.
“Construction is scheduled to wrap-up at the end of this month,” wrote Mark Krug, the CEO of Burbank Housing in a regular email update. “Fencing will be installed next week and perhaps spill into the following week. Most everything will be completed mid-month with a few tasks slated to be completed at the end of the month. Preliminary lease-up activities are underway with the expectation that people will begin moving in right after the New Year’s holiday.”
The previous residents were moved out in the spring of 2022. A six-month renovation process was supposed to happen in the summer of 2022 with the facility re-opening in October 2022. However, the transfer of the property from the County to Burbank Housing was delayed for about a year. In August of 2023, County officials said the facility would re-open in March 2024. It was delayed again. Now, finally, in December 2024, with the renovation finalized, Elderberry Commons will start a new phase as an apartment complex that provides a permanent housing solution for more than two-dozen of the County’s homeless. (See our story from August 2023 here.)
Placing Tenants
The selection and on-boarding of new tenants for Elderberry Commons is the responsibility of West County Community Services (WCCS). I spoke with Danielle Danforth who is Director of Housing and Homeless Services at WCCS, which provides the “supportive services” at Elderberry Commons.
Danforth and her team are already taking referrals from the Coordinated Entry System, essentially a database that tracks the County’s homeless — the most vulnerable go to the top of the list. Each week, a group meets to go over the list and make referrals for any new housing options that have opened up.
Each person fits into one of three groups: 1) Transitional Age Youth (TAY), which is defined as 18-26 years of age; 2) individuals and 3) families. An equal number of referrals are taken from each group. Elderberry Commons is limited to two people per unit so only a family of two such as a parent and child or a couple could be placed there.
In addition, Danforth explained that each person can specify a ranked choice for the location where they will or will not wish to live. “Some of the homeless in West County don’t want to live in Santa Rosa or Petaluma, and vice versa” said Danforth. She believes it is important that the ranked-choice system reflects the preferences of the person.
Danforth said that she has 21 referrals so far for the 29 units. Her team is working on getting each person “document-ready.” That often involves someone from WCCS taking the person to get a Social Security card or to the DMV to get a copy of their driver’s license. Each prospective tenant will fill out an application that goes to Burbank Housing for approval. Each person will sign a lease for their unit, just like any other rental. Burbank Housing will have a resident manager who lives in one of the units at Elderberry Commons.
I asked whether residents pay anything for the units. “They get project-based vouchers from the Sonoma County Housing Authority, which works like the Section 8 voucher but it is connected to the site,” said Danforth. “They pay a percentage of their income based on a formula set by HUD.”
Donations Needed
Tenants will move into a furnished unit. However, many could use help getting household items. Danforth asked that there is a list of things that she knows they will need like plates and utensils, bath towels and hand towels and other ordinary items. If anyone is interested in helping out these new residents get off to a good start, please contact Danforth’s team at WCCS.
In the past, Danforth said some community members have “adopted a unit” while others have provided gift cards for local dining or shopping, all of which will help the new residents adjust to their new location.
The move-in process is expected to start after January 6, 2025.
New Homeless Outreach Coordinator
When I asked Danforth who replaced Maria Rico as the homeless outreach coordinator for Sebastopol, she said sharply: “No one. You can’t replace Rico.” (We profiled Maria Rico here, just as she was leaving in September to take a federal job providing housing and supportive services to the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.) After a beat, Danforth explained that WCCS had hired Favi Ledezma-Gomez in the coordinator position and she was happy that Rico gave the new hire the “thumbs up.”