After nearly three decades, National CORE, the County of Riverside, the City of Cathedral City and their partners are excited to celebrate the grand re-opening of Cathedral Palms, an affordable housing community for low-income seniors in Cathedral City, California. Originally acquired by National CORE in 1996, the completely renovated Cathedral Palms now offers 224 high-quality affordable apartment homes for seniors earning less than 60% of the area median income. Sixty-eight of these homes are set aside for unhoused seniors in an effort to combat the homelessness crisis in the Coachella Valley.
“Since acquiring Cathedral Palms in 1996, National CORE has endeavored to serve Cathedral City and the western Coachella Valley with a senior community that provides stable housing and onsite services for the hard-working folks who have lived and worked across the valley for decades. We also needed to seriously address the shortage of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless seniors in the region,” said Tony Mize, National CORE Vice President of Acquisitions. “The new Cathedral Palms is built to be sustainable for many years into the future, with a total renovation of all apartment homes and the addition of a new community center that significantly enhances services for all residents.”
Senior homelessness has been on the rise throughout the state of California and is projected to triple by 2030. A recent study conducted by Harvard University reported that rising rents and stagnant incomes are leaving behind a growing number of seniors at risk of homelessness as they struggle to cover their living costs. This is especially acute for seniors with a history of health conditions, as unprecedented situations can make it difficult to maintain housing without a helping hand. Permanent supportive housing, a low-barrier model that combines affordable housing with coordinated services, can help to fill that need.
“The re-opening of Cathedral Palms Senior Apartments is a great moment for Cathedral City and will be a key asset when it comes to combatting homelessness in our community,” said Cathedral City Mayor Rita Lamb. “These renovated, affordable apartment homes will significantly reduce the burden for low-income and unhoused seniors and we’re grateful for the continued commitment on this issue by our partners at National CORE and the County of Riverside.”
National CORE has been developing plans to revitalize the 1950s-era Cathedral Palms since acquiring the community in 1996. However, because of limited funding sources for affordable housing in the region and the elimination of redevelopment agencies in California in 2012, efforts to revitalize this large community became an impossible dream. It took many years to bring together public and private partners to make the dream a reality. In 2019, the renovation took a major step forward when Riverside County was awarded $7.7 million from the State of California’s No Place Like Home program to help fund the renovation of Cathedral Palms and, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was able to allocate critical HUD Section 8 Project Based Vouchers to reduce significantly the rent burden of our formerly homeless and very low-income senior residents.
“Cathedral Palms Apartments is an important housing asset that had long needed a major revitalization,” said Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “I’m very proud that Riverside County, alongside nonprofit affordable housing developer National CORE, and working very closely with the City of Cathedral City has provided such a supportive role to make the complete renovation of Cathedral Palms possible. This is a really great project, as it improves the quality of housing for our seniors and ensures affordable housing to take care of residents in need in the Coachella Valley.”
Now, the shared vision of National CORE, the County of Riverside, the City of Cathedral City, and their partners has been achieved and the new Cathedral Palms is home to over two hundred senior residents. The new community features a modern 3,600-square-foot building that acts as the hub for resident activities and services and features leasing and supportive services office space, resident meeting and recreational rooms and a demonstration kitchen. Additional onsite amenities include two swimming pools, laundry facilities and onsite supportive services and programs coordinated by the Hope through Housing Foundation.
“Riverside University Health Systems – Behavioral Health is proud to support this project with our community partners with the collective goal of creating a healthier Cathedral City,” said Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of RUHS-Behavioral Health.
Riverside University Health System’s Behavioral Health Department will offer supportive services focused on mental health and substance abuse services, working with previously homeless residents to maintain stable housing. The Hope through Housing Foundation will provide other onsite services focused on helping residents age in place with dignity, such as on-going food distribution, social engagement and physical and mental health programming. Cathedral Palms offers low-income seniors and unhoused seniors the opportunity to gain stability and find support and resources – giving them the chance to thrive.
“Everyone deserves access to a high-quality, safe, and affordable places to live. This is especially key for older adults, many of whom are living on fixed incomes and have increasing health-related expenses,” said Keli Savage, Head of Impact Investment Strategy at Aetna, a CVS health company.
The revitalization of this community was made possible through strong partners. The State of California HCD’s No Place Like Home program awarded the County of Riverside and National CORE $7.7 million for the 68 supportive housing units. The County of Riverside, in coordination with HUD, allocated 94 project-based vouchers and $2.0 million in HOME ARP funding. Through the years, The City of Cathedral City has provided continual political and financial support to the community. Private equity and debt funding was provided by JPMorgan Chase, Red Stone Equity Partners and facilitated by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Municipal Finance Authority.
“The revitalization of Cathedral Palms has been a dream for decades and we are incredibly proud to work with long time partner National CORE to make this dream a reality,” said Rosalind Ross, Vice President of Community Development Banding at Chase. “The re-opening comes at a time when housing in the area continues to be in great need. We know these homes will be an indispensable asset for the community transforming the lives of seniors, with the addition of onsite supportive services.”
Together, these partners helped to ensure that Cathedral Palms remains a vibrant, affordable community for seniors for decades to come.
