The Whole Child and City of Santa Fe Springs celebrate commencement of construction on innovative Interim Housing and Supportive Services Center funded by the city, LA County (Supervisor Janice Hahn), the State of California (Homekey2), and the Federal Government (Congresswoman Linda Sanchez).
Facility is Phase I of the transformational “Homeless to Homeowner Campus” that will provide comprehensive housing solutions and support services for families with children – including veteran families.
SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA – AUGUST 3, 2022 – The Whole Child, a regional leader in supporting children and families experiencing homelessness, and the City of Santa Fe Springs welcomed over 120 funders, supporters, friends, and media to a ceremony marking the commencement of construction on Phase I of a first-of-its-kind campus that will support families with children – including veteran families – on their path from homelessness to becoming homeowners.
“This project – this day – has been four years in the making,” proudly stated The Whole Child CEO Constanza Pachon in her welcoming remarks. “It is quite an undertaking to develop a project of this size and to get here has required a lot of friends and a lot of partners,” she continued, thanking the many funders and supporters present for their belief in The Whole Child’s vision.
“When this entire project is complete it is going to be, without a doubt, one of the more innovative housing projects we have in the entire County of Los Angeles,” said LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, a key supporter of the initiative. “This five-acre campus is going to be the site of ‘From Homeless to Homeowner’ – and that phrase is how we should look at everyone we see who needs our help.”
“By centralizing all of these resources on one campus,” she continued, “The Whole Child will be able to guide people as seamlessly as possible out of homelessness, into shelter, into permanent supportive housing, and then hopefully into homeownership.”
“This project took the belief and dedication of our entire city council and city leadership staff,” said Santa Fe Springs Mayor Annette Rodriguez. “Our council saw this as a strong solution to a need in our community to care for children and their families.”
“We’re one paycheck away from being homeless, a lot of this county is,” said Santa Fe Springs City Manager Ray Cruz in his poignant remarks praising the city council for its leadership in hosting the new site. “We are not just doing this for ourselves but for the whole region. No one else wants to do this in their backyard but we’re doing it in our front yard.”
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (CA-38) sent along her well wishes on the project, for which she has committed $500,000 in federal funding: “I congratulate The Whole Child on this important milestone,” the Congresswoman wrote. “When complete, the interim housing facility and supportive services center will provide families with the resources they need to take a crucial first step away from homelessness and toward permanent housing. Securing funding for this project is a great example of what different levels of government can do when we work together. Alongside my state and county partners, I was proud to help deliver the funding needed to get this project across the finish line. I look forward to seeing the difference it will make for so many in our community.”
In partnership with developers and funders from the public and private sectors, the entire site will ultimately include 101 affordable rental units and 21 ownership units – helping families to realize the dream of owning their own home.
The Whole Child’s development team for this campus includes experienced housing developers The Richman Group; award-winning architectural firm SVA Architects; general contractor, Ravco Inc.; and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.
The land this site will be built upon has been stewarded and cultivated by the Gabrielino Tongva People for thousands of years—The Whole Child, the City of Santa Fe Springs, and all funders are grateful for their partnership in this project.
About The Whole Child
The Whole Child (TWC) envisions a world that values the individual needs of each child and secures access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive and live a full, happy life. Our MISSION is to help families raise emotionally and physically healthy children and have a place to call home.
Founded in 1957, The Whole Child provides Mental Health services to at-risk children experiencing trauma and behavioral challenges; Housing Services to families experiencing or at the risk of homelessness; Parenting Education to prevent child abuse/neglect; and Nutrition Education to combat childhood obesity. Today, we provide our array of multidisciplinary services across 10 locations in LA County to more than 3,000+ families annually, 8,000+ people, including 4,500+ children. 78% of our clients are low to extremely low-income families with a single female head of household who is raising 2-3 children.
