22-04-2025
Project to build more than 50 units of housing for homeless people in Merced
A 58-unit project to help those at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Merced is underway.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday in Merced, to kick off the start of a project to build 58 units for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The Homekey-funded housing project will include 58 units at 125 E. 13th St.. The single-story units will have ground floor access making them ADA accessible. One bedroom, one bath units will be roughly 407 square-feet in size, with two bedroom, two bath units approximately 574 square-feet. The units will be built on 2.7 acres of land utilizing modular construction, landscaping with be featured throughout with an emphasis on cost efficiency and livability. The modular units will be manufactured by Phoenix-based Cavco total project will cost $11,150,000, with 100% of the project's funding coming form California's Project Homekey, said Adam Conour, CEO of Anabasis real estate company, which also is involved in the project.
'This (will) have a very community, clean feel to it,' said Dean Sparks, a real estate professional partnering with Anabasis. 'It's been designed from scratch versus taking an existing hospitality property and reconverting it to this.'
Both Sparks and Conour who are Army veterans, emphasized the importance of providing housing for veterans who they say are disproportionately affected by homelessness.
'We're trying to house veterans, we're trying to be responsible and we're trying to be impactful to the mission that we have,' Conour said.
The project will also include the construction of a community building on site that will serve to house social services as well as case management and property management teams as well as a community room. The ground breaking ceremony will include red, white and blue balloons, as well as tactical military-style shovels used for the groundbreaking.
Construction on the project is expected to begin this summer, with the development being one of seven affordable housing projects supported by the city in collaboration with developers.
'The City is committed to creating housing opportunities. By partnering with mission-aligned developers and leveraging funding opportunities from state and federal sources, we are working to ensure that affordable housing becomes a reality for more people throughout our community,' the city said in a statement to the Merced Sun-Star.
The state-led initiative was launched in 2020 in an effort to expand housing for individuals experiencing homelessness or for those at risk of homelessnesses. The program enables both local and regional public entities to acquire various types of properties including motels, hotels, or commercial buildings into interim or permanent housing. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, as of August, Homekey has funded 15,850 homes.
