UPDATE: ABC7 News Story & Video on November 6, 2014.
For six men and one building in Glendale, Veteran’s Day this past November 11th was different from years past. For some of these former U.S. military members, the differences were dramatic. All would agree that the changes represent an opportunity to enjoy their golden years in peace and security, something that a number of them have been lacking until now.
For six men and one building in Glendale, Veteran’s Day this past November 11th was different from years past. For some of these former U.S. military members, the differences were dramatic. All would agree that the changes represent an opportunity to enjoy their golden years in peace and security, something that a number of them have been lacking until now.
They are all new residents of Cypress Senior Living, the City of Glendale’s newest affordable housing project reserved for lower income senior households with the first six units reserved for Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
While it took some time to find 6 qualified senior veterans to occupy the predesignated units at Cypress Senior Living, it could not come soon enough for some. Twenty-two veterans applied for the units and a lottery was held to prioritize the order in which the veterans were to be considered for them. Some applicants did not meet the income qualifications, some did not care for the sizes of the units and kindly declined, and others, despite the housing being affordable, were not prepared to make a move from their existing homes. Sadly, one senior veteran selected did not live long enough to move into the unit, having passed away not too long after applying for the project.
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| WWII veteran Jesus Gonzalez shows off his Navy pennants and uniform at the Cypress Senior Living grand opening. |
The final roster of residents represents what many refer to as the “old-school” veterans, six men representing service time during conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II. Four are veterans of the Army followed by a representative each of the Navy and Air Force. Four of them were drafted, while the other two enlisted.
Jesus Gonzalez is the most veteran of them all. Now 86 years old and still going strong, Jesus grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He enlisted in the Navy in 1946 and spent 3 ½ years in and around various islands of the South Pacific. Some of those areas were still under Japanese occupation and the Navy provided security detail as some fighting and hostility continued, despite the end of WWII. Jesus then spent his civilian career as a teacher and high school baseball coach. He was living in a market rate apartment in Northridge when he and his wife heard about the opportunity to apply for the units in Glendale.
A few of the veterans were not as fortunate as Jesus in their post military life. Kevin Sargent, one the last veterans to rent a unit, spent several years homeless. During those lean times, Kevin made money by recycling bottles and cans and giving blood. He was drafted into the Army just out of Daily High School in Glendale in 1971. Prior to deployment in Vietnam, he came down with a debilitating case of spinal meningitis as a result of a vaccine the Army had given him; he was eventually discharged due to his medical condition. He worked many jobs in his adult life including stints as an actor and security guard.
Kevin split his adult time between Southern California, Washington, and Oregon and recently moved back to Los Angeles with the hopes of better days. Kevin was receiving help from the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration when he was informed of the Cypress project.
These veterans are not the only ones getting a new lease on life. The Cypress Project building was given a second chance too. The building, constructed in 1928, reflected the needs of Glendale at the time: 18 small studio and one-bedroom units intended to serve one person households for short periods – a housing stepping stone for those looking for something affordable and temporary until other opportunities arose.
Over time, both the building and Glendale changed. Since cars had been a luxury in 1928, the project originally provided only 8 parking stalls. Time progressed, cars became more prevalent and tenants in the building & surrounding neighborhood began to park on the narrow 20 foot wide street, adding to an already congested condition. The units transitioned from serving single person occupancy to larger families. They quickly became overcrowded, the only way families could afford the high rent. Never intending to serve large households, the building began to suffer from accelerated wear & tear over the years. The plumbing, heating, and electrical systems were in dire need of upgrades and the building needed to be retrofitted for protection against earthquakes as well.
In 2012 the Glendale Housing Authority in conjunction with Community Development Partners of Southern California, a developer of affordable rental housing, saw the opportunity to form a partnership that would transform the dilapidated building into quality low income housing for seniors and veterans. Their vision became a reality when the Cypress Senior Living Project opened its doors in June 2014. This came 2 years after the Glendale Housing Authority pledged approximately $2 million of affordable housing funds for the project. After securing $2.8 million in additional funding from the State of California Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (because of how competitive this financing is, it took two attempts to secure funding), the developer started work on the full rehabilitation and renovation of the two-story brick building, located on a crowded little neighborhood street in south Glendale.
These were some of the conditions that Community Development Partners wanted to address when it proposed acquiring the project, relocating the existing tenants, and renovating and preserving the building as an affordable rental housing project for lower income seniors. The Housing Authority, for its part, welcomed the proposal recognizing the time advantage that preservation and rehabilitation projects provide when compared to new construction projects. This renovation proposal was more cost effective and would be leasing up a whole 12 months before any new construction proposal could be built, thereby helping to solve some of the neighborhood problems very quickly.
The Housing Authority approved the proposal with one condition; six of the units had to be reserved and provide a preference for occupancy by a low income senior veteran of the US Armed Forces. This preference was new for both Glendale and the developer, but both were up to the challenge of finding housing for our nation’s veterans. Subsequently, a second affordable housing project with a second developer was approved by the Housing Authority, a 44-unit rental new construction project with a preference for lower income veteran family households due to be completed in June 2015.
All of the residents are thankful for the opportunity that the project provides for them. In addition to decent, safe, and sanitary housing that they can afford at their income levels, the project also offers social service programming. This includes classes such as an introduction to computers; safety classes like Neighborhood Watch, fraud awareness and prevention; medical screenings for hearing, vision, blood pressure, balance; and financial literacy programs through local banks and service providers for budgeting and money management, among others.
Additionally, Community Development Partners wanted to do a little extra for all of their tenants. They commissioned a Southern California artist to paint a mural on the rear wall of an adjacent liquor store, which faces the project’s parking lot. The muralist painted a landscape portrait of Glendale with the Verdugo Mountains in the background. She worked on the mural for about a month, inviting residents from the neighborhood to help her paint. She also took notes and comments from the residents of the project who tracked her progress. As an acknowledgement to the veterans, she added Amelia Earhart in a vintage airplane to the skyline. In the mural, Earhart, who was known to have flown out of Glendale Airport, is towing a large banner that says “Thank You Veterans.”
Another added feature is the community garden at the rear of the project. As described by the landscape architect who volunteered time to design it, the garden was to be a place of mediation and therapy for the residents of the project - a place to grow, heal and produce. Finally, artwork and furniture were added to the common areas of the project, which include original paintings and handmade furniture made of reclaimed cypress wood in honor of Cypress Street, the location of the project.
With the renovation and lease-up concluded, a lot of the heavy lifting is now complete. Long term management of the project will be handled by Buckingham Property Management, an experienced affordable housing manager. The building will be required to be in service - as affordable housing - for the next 55 years, thus the level of financial investment in getting it renovated and ready for its second take at life. As for the veterans, their service has long been completed so their only mission is to enjoy Glendale and all of the benefits of their new home at Cypress Senior Living.
The City of Glendale’s second affordable housing project for lower income veteran households, Veterans Village, will begin distributing applications for potential residency from November 4 – November 26. This 44-unit project consists of a combination of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units intended to serve low income families. The project is expected to be completed in June 2015.
To obtain an application or learn more about the project, go to: www.VeteransVillageGlendale.com
