50-unit affordable housing complex opens in Pismo Beach. ‘What a beautiful project this is’
A new home for low-income and homeless people in Pismo Beach officially celebrated its opening Wednesday afternoon.
Pismo Terrace, an affordable 50-unit People’s Self-Help Housing complex next door to the new Poppy gas station at the corner of North 4th Street and 5 Cities Drive, held an open house and festivities, with local officials and citizens dropping by to see the new building.
Originally purchased in 2019, the 1.2-acre lot was under construction between 2021 and late 2023 and cost a total of around $31 million, which People’s Self-Help Housing CEO Ken Triguiero said pencils out to around $350,000 per unit.
“It’s a really high-quality building, so that’s what drives some of that cost,” Trigueiro said. “These days, that’s actually pretty economical, too, so we’re pretty happy that we came in at that level.”
Among its many features, the three-story building includes a community center room named in honor of former Pismo Beach mayor and current People’s Self-Help Housing board chair Shelly Higginbotham, who cut the ribbon on the new project.
Higginbotham said she was proud to be part of a group of people looking for solutions to San Luis Obispo County’s housing needs.
“I feel so grateful to be part of an organization that has such an impact on families and generations to come,” Higginbotham said. “You can see what a beautiful project this is, and it’s wrapped around with in-house services so that people get the support they need to stay housed and be successful.”
Project to serve low-income households, at-risk young adults
Triguiero said the project actually opened its doors to residents in January shortly after construction was completed but delayed its grand opening due to scheduling conflicts as its first batch of residents moved in.
Amenities include the Shelly Higginbotham community room, laundry facilities, a playground and a bike rack. The complex’s 50 units are already leased and at capacity, Triguiero said.
People’s Self-Help housing real estate director Veronica Garcia said of the 50 units, 38 are one-bedrooms and another 12 are two-bedrooms.
Of the 50 units — which primarily serve low-income households making no more than 60% of the area median income — 24 are set aside for people who are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness, Garcia said.
Another eight units within that pool are dedicated to housing homeless and at-risk young adults — a growing need in San Luis Obispo County, Triguiero said.
“We’re hearing throughout the Central Coast — and that includes right here — through local service providers like 5Cities Homeless Coalition, who really is in touch with this population, that among those experiencing homelessness, there’s an uptick in those who are going right into homelessness when they’re coming out of the foster care system, or the youth between ages 18 and 24,” Triguiero said. “We wanted to respond because that’s what we’re all about, mission-wise.”
Garcia said the complex’s population is largely comprised of referrals from nonprofits such as the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo and 5CHC through the county’s coordinated entry system, which places people into housing based on need.
The project was developed in collaboration with the 5CHC, which refers clients and provides some wraparound services in partnership with Transitions-Mental Health Association, Triguiero said.
Current Pismo Terrace resident James Rodarte said he feels extremely fortunate to have access to a clean, new living space.
Rodarte said when he moved back to San Luis Obispo County after living in Costa Rica for six years, he found himself homeless, bouncing between the South County, San Luis Obispo and the coast.
He said he was placed into Pismo Terrace at the start of the year and has committed himself to the process of getting his life back on track, taking advantage of drawing classes hosted in the community room and enjoying the privacy of his own home.
“I just appreciate having a roof over my head and everything,” Rodarte said. “I don’t take it for granted now.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
