PORT ANGELES — Community members packed the “community room” of the new Maloney Heights apartments on Wednesday to dedicate the supportive housing complex for the chronically homeless in Port Angeles.
Port Angeles City Council member Don Perry said the studio apartments at 2311 W. 18th St. will “provide people in need housing during the holiday season.”
“This is a beautiful facility,” Perry told an overflow crowd of about 100.
Maloney Heights is part of a publicly subsidized $3.3 million joint venture of the Serenity House of Clallam County, Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, Housing Authority of Clallam County and the Peninsula Community Mental Health Center.
Get people off streets
The idea is to get people off the streets and keep them out of jails and emergency rooms.
Permanent supportive housing is designed for people who live on the streets who have roadblocks to housing, whether it’s a disability, criminal past, chemical dependency or mental health problems.
Serenity House, which owns and operates Maloney Heights, hired case workers from Peninsula Community Mental Health Center to provide residents with counseling when they move in later this month.
‘Very satisfying’
Kathy Wahto, executive director of Serenity House of Clallam County, said the dedication ceremony was “very satisfying.”
“I was surprised by how many people came out,” she said.
Maloney Heights is a “good investment of public money” that will provide a “safety net” for people who sleep on concrete floors or under bridges, Wahto said.
Wahto estimated that Maloney Heights will serve about 40 residents per year. Roughly 10 percent will return to homelessness, she added.
Residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent. Eight units are reserved for veterans.
The Serenity House permanent supportive housing center at the Tempest Building in Port Angeles has led to an 85 percent reduction in jail time for its residents, said Brad Collins, Serenity House capital improvements director and Port Angeles City Council member.
Maloney Heights was designed by Ron Wright & Associates Architects and built by Corstone Contractors LLC. It will have roof solar panels. Construction is nearly complete, Wahto said.
Serenity House and the Housing Authority of Clallam County broke ground for the Maloney Heights apartments in April.
14 homes in 7 years
Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County will build 14 homes on the same four-acre site in west Port Angeles over the next seven years.
The total project adds more than $300,000 in public infrastructure, including streets and sidewalks.
Wahto said “a lot of people” contributed to the Maloney Heights project, including housing advocate and Olympic Medical Center Commissioner Arlene Engel.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.