Jamboree Housing has broken ground on a 75-unit housing development for veterans in Orange County, Calif.
Santa Ana Veterans Village will be the county’s largest housing development exclusively for veterans and Jamboree’s first dedicated property for vets struggling with homelessness and other challenges. More than 700 veterans live in Jamboree properties across California.
The new development will feature a 4,500-square-foot community center that will be home to a veterans services collaborative. It will bring together some of the area’s leading service agencies to support residents as well as other veterans in the community. The partners include Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System, Goodwill of Orange County’s Tierney Center for Veterans Services, Veterans Legal Institute, Strength in Support, and Step Up. This collaborative approach will provide onsite mental health counseling, wellness services, employment services, and legal assistance.
Designed by Architecture Design Collaborative, Santa Ana Veterans Village is designed to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes Gold rating. This will save on utility consumption and costs and promote the health of residents.
Amenities in the nearly 10,000 square feet of active open space include a lounge and barbecue/dining areas, a dog run, and basketball half-court. Indoor amenities include a TV room and lounge area, a pet spa, a laundry room, a fitness center and yoga room, counseling offices, multipurpose rooms, and a kitchen.
All of the one- and two-bedroom units will have Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers to provide residents with rental assistance as well as supportive services.
A minimum of 10% of the apartments will be fully accessible, and a minimum of 4% of the units will offer communications features for residents with vision, hearing, and/or speech disabilities.
Jamboree has brought together nine different funding partners, including private groups like The Home Depot Foundation and the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) to finance the $29.7 million development.
Union Bank is providing approximately $12.9 million in low-income housing tax credit equity, a $23 million construction loan, and a $9.9 million permanent loan. The Orange County Health Care Agency and California Housing Finance Agency are providing $2.9 million; OCCF, $1.5 million; Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, $750,000; and The Home Depot Foundation, $500,000
The city of Santa Ana and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development are providing $352,963 in HOME funds.
Jamboree has $300 million in affordable housing projects in its development pipeline and a $1.1 billion asset portfolio that includes the development of and/or ownership interest in more than 8,500 homes in more than 91 California communities.