Vince GarciaFor young people exiting the foster care system, experts say finding a steady place to live has always been a tough hurdle on the road to independence. The city of Anaheim is addressing the issue with two affordable housing projects, which are expected to open to new residents by late 2026 or 2027.
The Anaheim Lincoln Beach Apartments and Tampico Motel are former blighted projects that are being rebuilt and constructed with city and state funding to help transitional youth and the elderly become self-sufficient.
The Tampico Motel project is reserved only for Transitional Aged Youth, offering housing along with services to help transitional youth become self-sufficient.
Located at the intersection of Lincoln and Beach Boulevard in West Anaheim, the Lincoln Beach project will provide housing for both TAY and seniors, it is the first housing project to combine these two populations in the city. Innovative Housing Opportunities is developing the property, which offers 37 units for low-income seniors and nine reserved for youth ages 18-24 transitioning out of foster care.
Tampico, located at 120 South State College, is a former motel that the city’s housing authority spent $1 million converting into long-term affordable units. The city also approved a $6.9 million financing loan for the project alongside $30.1 million in bonds.
Eric Chavira, project manager for the Tampico Motel project, said that both projects aim to stabilize youth by giving them a place to focus on school and employment and eventually become self-sufficient.
“The goal is to get them stabilized, where they’re able to go to school, have a job, and then eventually to the point where they’re able to be self-sufficient and live on their own,” Chavira said. “We don’t want them living in studio units for the rest of their lives.”
Both projects will provide wraparound team-based services such as financial literacy and case management to help transitional-aged youth achieve self-sufficiency and upward mobility, said Andy Nogal, Anaheim’s deputy director of housing and community development.
“The process to stabilize them is to provide services that allow them to succeed, whether it’s financial literacy or other types of services that get them back into the mainstream world,” said Nogal.
At Santa Ana College, support for students who are current and former foster youth can be found through Santa Ana College’s Guardian Scholars Program, which provides students with services and education in financial literacy.
Dolores Cornejo, director of Special Programs at SAC, said Santa Ana has a shortage of transitional housing for foster youth, forcing students to seek programs outside the city through organizations such as Orangewood and OC United.
Cornejo said an intergenerational housing model like Lincoln Beach in Santa Ana could provide young residents with mentorship, while also having community around them and a stable place to live while they pursue education and employment.
Both projects relied on local, state, and federal funding along with rental assistance programs to construct the properties and keep the units affordable for tenants.
Lincoln Beach received a 9% low-income tax credit award in September 2024, while Tampico received a 4% tax credit award, both of which Nogal said were pivotal in getting both the projects started. Both projects rely on project-based vouchers and Section 8 assistance, with Lincoln Beach having 46 vouchers and 31 for Tampico.
The Anaheim Housing Authority also approved Tampico with a 55-year ground lease with Jamboree, allowing the developer to build and operate affordable housing on the property while the AHA retains ownership of the land. Lincoln Beach also has a 55-year ground lease with the AHA.
“Once the 55 years are done, the developer can decide whether or not to request an extension, but if the tenant themselves decides they don’t want to live there anymore, they can take their voucher somewhere else,” Nogal said.
