Palo Alto Faces Housing Need for Disabled

PALO ALTO, CA—​​The​ ​number​ ​of​ ​people​ ​with developmental​ ​disabilities​ ​in​ ​Santa​ ​Clara​ ​County​ ​​grew​ ​by​ ​42%​ ​since​ ​June​ ​2007.​ ​​According​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Department​ ​of​ ​Developmental​ ​Services,​ ​Palo​ ​Alto​ ​is home​ ​to​ ​​more​ ​than​ ​460​ ​people​ ​with​ ​developmental​ ​disabilities,​ ​of​ ​whom ​more​ ​than​ ​216​ ​are​ ​adults.

Of​ ​the​ ​adult​ ​population,​ ​​only​ ​40​ ​are​ ​living​ ​in​ ​their​ ​own​ ​apartments,​​ ​while​ ​11​ ​are​ ​living​ ​in​ ​a​ ​community care​ ​facility and 165​ (approximately​ ​76%)​ ​are​ ​living​ ​at​ ​home​ ​with​ ​aging​ ​parents.​​ ​​Many​ ​adults remain​ ​in​ ​the​ ​parent’s​ ​home​ ​solely​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​other​ ​housing​ ​options​ ​in​ ​Palo​ ​Alto.  ​​

Indeed, Palo​ ​Alto​ ​faces​ ​a​ ​growing​ housing ​need​ ​​for the developmentally disabled who​ ​are​ ​diagnosed​ ​with​ ​a​ ​variety​ ​of​ ​conditions​ ​that​ ​severely​ ​impair​ ​functioning​ ​in​ ​at​ ​least​ ​three​ ​of​ ​seven activities​ ​of​ ​daily​ ​living.​ ​Under​ ​California’s​ ​Lanterman​ ​Act,​ ​the​ ​San​ ​Andreas​ ​Regional​ ​Center​ ​ensures​ ​that Palo​ ​Alto’s​ ​residents​ ​with​ ​developmental​ ​disabilities​ ​have​ ​the​ ​services​ ​they​ ​need​ ​to​ ​live​ ​successfully​ ​in integrated​ ​community​ ​housing.​​ But​ ​without​ ​access​ ​to​ ​affordable​ ​housing,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​an​ ​unfulfilled​ ​promise.

Palo Alto Housing and Housing Choices recently hosted an information session to educate the community about inclusive and affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities. The session also highlighted opportunities and ways to get involved in influencing housing plans for this segment of the community in Palo Alto and Mountain View.

“Research has shown that adults with developmental disabilities function better when they are able to live in their own homes in their communities near family and friends,” according to Randy Tsuda, Palo Alto Housing’s new president and chief executive officer.

Housing Choices will provide individualized services that each resident with development disabilities needs to live successfully in community rental housing, said Jan Stokley, executive director of Housing Choices.

“PAH provides affordable housing for a variety of people, including seniors, veterans, families and now the developmentally disabled,” Tsuda tells GlobeSt.com. “We will make the determination on which projects will have units for the developmentally disabled on a project-by-project location. Some of the variables are site location, funding sources and needs of the community. Palo Alto Housing was formed in 1969 and has recently expanded our geographic scope of work. Five of our six current projects are in cities beyond Palo Alto and we continue to pursue additional opportunities to provide much-needed housing in other communities.”

At the session, participants learned about two new local affordable residential communities that Palo Alto Housing is currently developing. Wilton Court at 3709 El Camino Real in Palo Alto will have at least 15 units for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The property is steps from VTA Bus Line #22. A second residential community is planned at 950 West El Camino Real in Mountain View and will offer some rental units targeted for adults with developmental disabilities.

The Wilton Court project is Palo Alto’s first inclusive housing for people with developmental disabilities, the first project to use the city’s newly created affordable housing combining district and Palo Alto Housing’s first housing project in Palo Alto in more than seven years.

“Our Wilton Court project will have 59 units, of which at least 25% will be for adults with developmental disabilities,” Tsuda tells GlobeSt.com. “The project is scheduled for an architectural review board hearing in early December and we hope to have approval by the Palo Alto City Council in early 2019. Like most affordable housing projects, the precise timeline is dependent on funding but completion of the project is several years down the road. First things first. The current goal is to secure the project entitlement.”

Another project is Eagle Park Apartments, which comprises 67 rental apartments for low-income veterans and households earning up to 60% of the Santa Clara County area median income. The unit mix consists of 62 studios at approximately 400 square feet and five one-bedroom apartment homes at nearly 600 square feet. Expected to be completed in March 2019, this approximately half-acre property is centrally located in Mountain View at 1701 W. El Camino Real, within walking distance of grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and public transit.