VC Star | Santa Paula motel eyed for transformation into affordable housing

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County’s $500,000 predevelopment loan is moving a 21-unit affordable housing project forward at a motel on Santa Paula’s east side, according to a new Ventura County Star report on the Gateway Grove development at 1445 E. Main St.

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County CEO Linda Braunschweiger told the Star the loan, distributed in two $250,000 advances, helps cover early costs such as architecture and city fees. The former Santa Paula Motel will be converted into 20 permanent supportive housing studios for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including two units reserved for veterans, plus a manager’s unit. All 20 studios will serve households earning no more than 30% of the area median income. The $11 million development is a partnership of Homes & Hope, Thousand Oaks nonprofit Many Mansions, and the Santa Paula Housing Authority, with renovations slated to begin in early 2027 and tenants moving in during the first quarter of 2028.

Read the full VC Star story, HERE.

Read our announcement of the Gateway Grove loan HERE.