BUENA ESPERANZA

Buena Esperanza in Anaheim, California won a 2024 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award in the Housing for Veterans of the Armed Forces category.

Buena Esperanza provides permanent supportive housing to 69 formerly homeless residents living with a mental health diagnosis. The studio apartments at Buena Esperanza are limited to residents at 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), and all units have Project Based Vouchers or Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers.

Buena Esperanza is the conversion of an EconoLodge motel, and is Anaheim’s first motel conversion under the city’s motel conversion ordinance. The rehabilitation features an interior and exterior update of the existing two-story building, including a two-story addition for leasing and on-site management offices, plus meeting room spaces and a computer lab. The construction of a new one-story, 1,800-square-foot community center provides a social gathering place, with a resident lounge, teaching kitchen, and food pantry.

Buena Esperanza is a community that integrates into a thriving neighborhood, located a short walking or biking distance to public transportation, shops, services and restaurants, and three local parks. Integral to the success of Buena Esperanza is the inclusion of fully funded ongoing supportive services provided at no cost to the residents. An onsite program coordinator assists residents in accessing local community services. Jamboree Housing Corporation coordinates onsite services provided by Home First FSP, Orange County Housing’s Full-Service Partnership (FSP) program and Orange County’s Veterans Administration Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (OC VA HUD-VASH) team.

The development represents the efforts of Jamboree Housing Corporation and US Bank to preserve, improve, and increase affordable housing opportunities in Anaheim, California.