A new housing project for some of Fresno County’s most vulnerable citizens will be in Clovis
The city of Clovis saw construction start Friday on its first-ever permanent housing project for some of the area’s most vulnerable residents.
Dubbed Butterfly Gardens, the $18 million project will be a 75-unit complex in the city’s southwest, spearheaded by low-income housing developers UPholdings and Self-Help Enterprises.
It’s considered a “supportive” housing project — meaning the units will go toward people who are homeless and struggle with mental health, drug addiction and other issues.
Seventy-three units will be available to tenants, who will have 24-hour access to services at the Holland Avenue complex near Ashlan and Willow avenues. The single-bedroom units are 650 to 685 square feet, officials said.
Tenants will have access to a computer lab and exercise equipment when the building is complete in July 2022.
Butterfly Gardens is based on a “housing first” model, according to Jessica Hoff Berzac, co-founder and principal of UPholdings. People are placed in the housing first and then can seek help with their illness or drug addiction rather than having to clear those hurdles to get into a unit.
“When housing is prioritized as a necessity instead of requiring it to be earned — dignified and meaningful change can occur,” she said. “Much like a butterfly, our goal for this project is to offer a communal hub where residents can experience independence and cathartic transformation.”
The city of Clovis put about $300,000 into the project, which were leftover dollars from the dissolution of the city’s redevelopment agency in 2010, according to city staffers.
Clovis lacks affordable housing by all accounts. City leaders say they struggle to pull down any state or federal subsidies to help them build such housing, which is expensive and often takes a developer to lead the charge.
Butterfly Gardens’ 75 units will cost $18 million, or what works out to $240,000 a unit.
It’s not uncommon for affordable housing to cost more per unit than a single-family home. An 88-unit apartment project that will cost $38 million — about $430,000 per unit — broke ground in Fresno last year. Much of the cost is covered by state loans, credits and grants, meaning the city of Fresno only contributed about $500,000 aside from a loan.
But, Clovis also got sued for its lack of affordable housing. Fresno County Superior Court ruled last week Clovis has been violating California state housing laws and will be required to zone and plan for more than 4,000 low-income homes.
Clovis Mayor Jose Flores said the legal battle was not a done deal and declined to address it on Friday.
He did say state regulations that drive up costs make building more affordable housing difficult.
“It’s a dichotomy. The state wants us to build affordable housing but gives us no tools to do it,” Flores said. “We have designated plenty of land for very low affordable housing, but no one comes to do it.”
