To address the critical need for affordable housing, Riverside celebrates the unveiling of a new development, Vista de La Sierra, a complex offering 80 affordable homes in the La Sierra neighborhood, with 39 units earmarked as supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness, this addition to the community comes at a time when housing instability persistently challenges the region.

The result of collaboration between National CORE, Mercy House, Hope through Housing Foundation, and local government agencies, Vista de La Sierra not only offers modern amenities, but also sets a green standard by aiming for net-zero energy use, the project standing on land once owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and it extends opportunities to residents earning from 30 to 60 percent of the Area Median Income.

According to the HCD, much of the financing for the project's supportive housing came from the state's No Place Like Home program, a critically acclaimed initiative funded under Proposition 1 targeting homelessness, particularly among those with serious mental illnesses.

Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson lauded the development, emphasizing housing as a paramount concern; she said to National CORE, "Vista de La Sierra moves Riverside one step closer to being able to provide housing for all," acknowledging the pressing need for solutions like this — because community-driven efforts seem to be breaking ground, literally, in the quest to combat homelessness and housing shortages in the region, moreover in the state.

Patty Fado, HCD branch chief, expressed the organization's enthusiasm for projects that intertwine public and private resources to address the homelessness crisis, "These are the types of projects we are hungry to fund," she commented on the development, pointing to the vitality of strong community ties in pushing such initiatives to fruition.