This story was originally published in Affordable Housing Finance.
A 36-unit affordable housing development was destroyed along with much of its town when the devastating Camp Fire roared through Paradise, Calif., earlier this month.
It’s a tragic loss for the residents and Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), a nonprofit that has built more than 2,600 housing units in the region.
“Eighty-nine of CHIP’s low-income residents, including the property manager, are now displaced as we lost Paradise Community Village Apartments (PCV), one of our beautiful, newer 36-unit rental housing developments,” said Desiree Gonzalez, CHIP communication and fundraising manager, in an e-mail to Affordable Housing Finance magazine.
The development served large families as well as individuals and seniors earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income, which makes the loss and recovery that much harder for them, she said.
“What makes this tragedy even worse is that Butte County and California as a whole already lack affordable housing, and this disaster only compounds the existing crisis ... probably for years to come. And it is going to be a long-term effort to rebuild, both for us and the rest of the community,” Gonzalez said.
Built in 2013, Paradise Community Village was a low-income housing tax credit development and one of the newest affordable housing communities in the rural area.
Images of the scorched development were captured by Associated Press photographer John Locher.
For CHIP, the tragedy goes beyond losing PCV. Six employees also lost their homes in the fire, including the PCV property manager, Gonzalez said.
The Camp Fire is one of the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history. According to a recent count, there have been 83 deaths and more than 500 people still unaccounted for as of Wednesday. The fire is estimated to have burned 13,503 residences and nearly 5,000 other buildings.
Located in Butte County, Paradise is a town of about 26,700, with a quarter of its residents 65 years or older. The median household income in the area is $47,533 compared with $63,783 statewide, according to Census Bureau figures.
Paradise has been an important affordable housing niche to nearby Chico, the county's most populous city.
“CHIP will help residents who lost their homes get back on their feet,” Gonzalez said. “In natural disasters, it is people with low incomes who are often hit the hardest. Often they do not have renters insurance and have little to no resources to fund a down payment or living expenses while displaced.”
People and businesses can make donations on the organization’s website at www.chiphousing.org or can mail checks payable to CHIP at 1001 Willow St., Chico, CA 95928, ATTN: Desiree Gonzalez.
The organization had to cancel a Nov. 16 gala to celebrate CHIP’s 45th anniversary.
In addition to helping the residents, CHIP officials will be looking for resources to become part of the longer-term, permanent housing solution in the Paradise area and other areas it serves where displaced families may want to relocate, according to organization officials.
This story was originally published in Affordable Housing Finance.
