On Monday, September 19, residents began moving into Nevada County’s newest affordable housing community, Brunswick Commons housing development, concluding four years of hard work to bring this project from concept to reality.
Brunswick Commons, which overlooks the Brunswick Basin from Old Tunnel Road, provides 41 units of affordable housing with one unit designated for an onsite manager and 12 units set aside for permanent supportive housing for individuals with a mental health disability. The residents in the permanent supportive housing units are supported by Nevada County Behavioral Health and Turning Point Community Programs.
“This is a huge win for permanent supportive housing,” said Phebe Bell, Director of Behavioral Health Services for Nevada County. “Here, people find the behavioral health support they need while also getting help with skills to be successful in housing.”
Nevada County and Hospitality House have partnered to place individuals in the remaining units, with 33 one-bedroom units and 8 two-bedroom units for families. Eligibility for units at Brunswick Commons is based on the vulnerability ranking from an extensive list of everyone in the community engaged in services and experiencing homelessness – the By-Name List.
"This project has been four long years in the making, but the wait will be worth it when 50 individuals, including eight children, move into their new homes,” said Nancy Baglietto, Executive Director of Hospitality House. “Hospitality House will continue to provide case management support to 28 of the units to empower individuals and families with the tools needed to sustain their homes long-term.”
Brunswick Commons was made possible by funding from the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) No Place Like Home grant, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC), and partnership with the developer, The Pacific Company. Nevada County applied for and was awarded funding in 2019 through No Place Like Home and construction began in 2020 after a successful tax credit application. The funding allowed the County to begin planning and pre-development work for the project.
“Ongoing supply chain issues delayed the project, but we are finally here,” said Mike Dent, Director of Housing and Community Services for Nevada County. “Affordable housing is a priority and seeing these properties come together for our community members is really inspiring.”
The development includes a computer learning center, exercise room, community room, communal kitchen, laundry facilities, as well as a playground that overlooks Brunswick Basin.
Since 2017, nine developments have been in planning, active construction, or completed, totaling 311 new units of affordable housing throughout the county: 157 units for Western Nevada County and 154 units for Eastern County. With completion of Brunswick Commons, 222 units of affordable housing have been completed across all those projects. Empire Mine Courtyard will bring an additional 22 units online in the next few weeks, and Cashin’s Field is slated for completion in early spring of 2023 with another 51 units of affordable housing. By Spring of 2023, 295 new units of affordable housing will be available for residents in Nevada County.
