KING CITY — Community leaders and regional partners gathered March 19 to celebrate the grand opening of Casa de Esperanza, a newly renovated permanent supportive housing community at 1130 Broadway St. in King City.
The project transforms a former Days Inn motel into 45 studio apartments designed to provide safe, stable housing for individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly those displaced from encampments along the Salinas River during renovations.
Developed at a cost of $16.7 million, Casa de Esperanza was made possible through collaboration among multiple agencies, including Monterey County, the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Department of Health Care Services, the Central California Alliance for Health, the City of King City and Monterey County Homeless Services.
“This collaboration reflects what’s possible when partners unite around a shared commitment to ending homelessness,” said Zulieka Boykin, executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey. “Casa de Esperanza addresses a critical need in South Monterey County and represents stability, dignity and opportunity for those who need it most.”
Speakers at the event included Boykin; King City Mayor Mike LeBarre; Isabel Meza, representing Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz); Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez; Debbie Paolinelli, assistant county administrative officer; and Michael Schrader, CEO of the Central California Alliance for Health.
Lopez highlighted the significance of the project in remarks following the opening.
“Casa de Esperanza is open. The third housing facility in as many weeks opened in the district is officially online. The project had major hurdles but it had even greater champions. Men and women who refused to let it go quietly,” Lopez said. “A huge shout out to the City Council, former City Manager Steve Adams, Mayor LeBarre, the Housing Authority, CCAH and all of our partners who refused to surrender and saw this project through.”
He continued, “I shared a belief in my brief remarks today, a conviction, that when men and women break they lose their ability to dream. This place will be one of healing and recovery, opportunity and renewal. This place will be a place where broken men and women can learn to trust and dream again. In that they will find motivation, inspiration and be given the tools through the supportive services to make a better future for themselves, their children and our collective community. Together. We did.”
Supportive services at the site will be provided by Step Up, while leasing and housing placement will be managed by Housing Authority staff based on referrals from partner agencies.
Casa de Esperanza originated as part of California’s Homekey initiative, which aims to rapidly expand housing for people experiencing homelessness. The property, originally built in 1969, was acquired by the City of King City before being transferred to the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey, whose development department oversaw the renovation.
Established in 1941, the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey provides affordable housing and rental assistance to low-income residents and currently serves more than 10,000 people across the county.
