PITTSBURG — Hoping to foster a stable living environment for a vulnerable population, a transition-age youth housing development with on-site support is coming to Pittsburg.
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Known as the Village of Hope Pittsburg, the development will include 15 cottages with either one or two bedrooms and ranging from 450 to 725 square feet. There will also be a computer lab, meeting room, community garden, and space for supportive services.
With construction expected to begin in the coming weeks, the project will be built on 0.8 acres of vacant land owned by the Pittsburg Church of the Nazarene on Kirker Pass Road. It will provide housing for young adults between 18 and 24 who are coming out of foster care, in state custody, or facing immediate homelessness, said Deanne Pearn, the chief executive officer of Hope Solutions.
The village is expected to be ready for residents in May 2027.
Formerly known as Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, the nonprofit received entitlements to build the cottages as part of its mission to “heal the effects of poverty and homelessness,” said Pearn.
“We have found in our experience that housing is just the beginning. For some organizations, housing is the end. For us, it’s just the beginning,” Pearn told this news organization. “Once you’ve taken care of that basic security and safety need, then people decompress, and then they are able to start really working on the root causes that led to their homelessness.”
Services for residents will be individually tailored, said Pearn.
“So for most of the young people, it will be planned for education, employment skills. It will also be life skills, tenancy skills, how to manage a household, how to cook, clean, be a good neighbor, and how to contribute to the broader community,” said Pearn.
Professional case management services will be available to provide education and employment support for residents, she said.
Potential tenants will come through Contra Costa County’s coordinated entry system, but the nonprofit will also conduct its own recruitment in Pittsburg.
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“Preference will be for Pittsburg youths as much as we can, and we will do a lot of outreaches in Pittsburg,” Pearn said.
However, the decision to accept housing remains with the individuals, she said.
“What we find is you have a young person, and their life, family and community is in Richmond, so they want to stay in Richmond and they are not going to be applying for this housing,” she said. “I imagine the vast majority, if not all, will be for Pittsburg’s young adult.”
In July, the Pittsburg Housing Authority – consisting of councilmembers and two residents – approved a $500,000 loan with zero interest over a 20-year term for the project.
The loan, funded by the Housing Successor Agency, would cover eligible project costs such as municipal engineering and building permit fees, said Ishani Rasanayagam, an administrative analyst with the city of Pittsburg, during a meeting on July 20.
Funding to develop the approximately $11.7 million project comes from a combination of county, federal and local funding sources, she said.
“Hope Solutions has assembled a diverse funding package from multiple public and private partners to make this project possible. These partners include Hope Solutions’ own capital campaign, Contra Costa Health, the Bezos Day One family fund, and Measure X funding,” said Rasanayagam.
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