In San Antonio, a blow has been dealt to a key player in the fight against homelessness after a blaze tore through Hudson Apartments, leaving residents without a roof over their heads and setting back crucial renovation works. The fire, triggered by an electrical fault in a rooftop air conditioning unit back in March, led to significant damage to 22 units at the complex, a Northside property managed by housing nonprofit SAMMinistries, which provides permanent supportive homes to the chronically homeless with disabling conditions.
The recovery process is expected to take a grueling seven months, during which the community will feel the burden, the tenants themselves having been shuffled to alternative housing arrangements, which include a hotel operated by the nonprofit or shared spaces within the complex itself, causing SAMMinistries a monthly loss of about $35,000 in federal housing subsidies according to Nikisha Baker, SAMMinistries’ president and CEO; this financial strain coming at a time when the organization had already committed nearly $2 million of coronavirus recovery funds to upgrade the complex, as San Antonio Report outlined.
There's a glimmer of hope with Bexar County Commissioners Court stepping up by approving $300,000 in aid to keep SAMMinistries' operations afloat while renovations proceed, although the total cost for the rebuild remains up in the air. Moreover, the organization might be caught in a "tug of war" with the insurance company over the coverage of damage, "The hope is that insurance covers the damage," Baker noted. Meanwhile, unaffected units will continue being renovated, and the county has shown flexibility by approving a contract that will allow SAMMinistries to seek further funding once the full extent of the fire-related damages is assessed, which is striving to comply with federal law due to the funds stemming from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The renovation plans aren't just about restoring what was lost but also enhancing accessibility with at least eight units set to be ADA compliant but since insurance doesn't bankroll upgrades, only replacements, the county's contribution remains crucial for the project's success; the deadline for the allocation of ARPA funds is Dec. 31, with an expenditure deadline of Dec. 31, 2026 and Bexar County still has about $17 million on its ARPA table, not inclusive of the roughly $1 million earmarked for the Hudson's second phase of repairs, as Baker told San Antonio Report.
Amid the setbacks, the vision for a new 4,000-square-foot service center, replete with a clinic, counseling services, and addiction recovery programs at the Hudson site persists, part of a broader "housing first" approach that the nonprofit has championed in its more than a decade of service. With the future of more than 180 units across San Antonio in SAMMinistries' care, including a planned 201-unit permanent supportive housing complex, the road to recovery is paved with challenges yet underscored by a profound commitment to those it serves.
