4 days ago
Modesto celebrates opening of housing project aimed at combating homelessness
The city of Modesto celebrated on Thursday the grand opening of Jenny's Place, a project created to provide permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Named after the late City Councilmember Jenny Kenoyer, the 54-unit apartment complex will provide residents with amenities including a mattress, refrigerator, bathroom and closet.
Of the units, 38 are for people ages 18 to 24, while the rest don't have an age restriction. The on-site manager will have a one-bedroom apartment, while all others are studio apartments.
The complex is at 710 N. Ninth St., where a Travelers Motel previously stood.
Maya Carter is one of the new residents at Jenny's Place. Before she moved in a couple of days ago, Carter moved from hotel to hotel with her kids for two and a half years. She also lost her job and was suffering seizures, she said.
'I was unable to pay for anywhere to stay, and I was staying in a friend of mines' truck,' she said. 'I was living a really hard life.'
Carter learned of Jenny's Place through the Stanislaus County Access Center. With the help of its housing assessment team, she signed her lease.
Carter currently lives alone and her family members visit her on weekends. She viewed the opportunity as a 'last chance for me, and there's no way that I'm gonna mess this up or try not to mess this up, intentionally, but I'm very happy.'
Now with a fresh start, Carter plans to attend Modesto Junior College and look for a job. She hopes other people facing a similar situation take advantage of the resources available.
'You're never too old to try to go back and get something done right. All you have to do is look within yourself and know that the only person you're lying to is yourself,' Carter said.
City of Modesto spokesperson Sonya Severo stated in an email to The Bee that 16 units at Jenny's Place are occupied. Residents moved in during early May.
Severo also said there is no application, as individuals are referred through a Coordinated Entry System (CES). Managed by Stanislaus County Community Services Agency and its Community System of Care, the CES helps individuals and families navigate housing resources by going through one centralized system.
Residents of the new complex will be housed through a one-year lease agreement with the option to renew.
Over 30 attendees were present at the site Thursday and were allowed to explore some unoccupied units following a speech and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
'Jenny's Place is opening the doors to hope, safety and stability, to those who need it most,' Mayor Sue Zwahlen said. 'They no longer have to worry about where they are going to sleep at night or feeling safe.'
According to a press release, the project cost $23 million. The city, the California Homekey Program, the Stanislaus County Community System of Care and the Health Plan of San Joaquin all contributed funding.
In October 2023, the city and the project's co-developers, Upholdings and RH Community Builders, received a $16 million grant from the state's Homekey Program, a statewide initiative to expand housing for anyone experiencing homelessness or at the risk of homelessness.
Caity Meader, director of supportive housing for Upholdings, said the project's construction began in February 2024 and concluded in April of this year.
In March, Modesto received a $5.7 million grant from the state to help people experiencing homelessness transition to shelters and permanent housing. Later that month, Dignity Village Modesto opened a 42-unit complex to help individuals facing homelessness and other obstacles.
On Jan. 24-25, 2024, the Stanislaus Community System of Care conducted a 24-hour Point-In-Time count that found 2,052 people were experiencing homelessness in the county. Out of those, 1,622 were in Modesto.
