San José's landscape of support for foster youth and affordable housing has a new highlight with the grand opening of The Hub and Parkmoor Community Apartments. Yesterday, Santa Clara County, in partnership with Abode, celebrated the unveiling of this innovative development at the intersection of Parkmoor and Meridian avenues. The site stands as a testament to a community-led approach to tackling the issues former foster youths face, providing 81 affordable housing units in the process.
Transitioning from the foster system, The Hub, which once occupied a space on King Street, has found a new 17,000-square-foot permanent home that can serve hundreds of youths between the ages of 15 and 24, bringing with it a suite of services ranging from mental health counseling to job placement assistance. Designed with inputs from current and former foster youth, the facility was a collaborative effort to ensure its amenities are ideally purposed for those it intends to support. According to Santa Clara County's official news release, the $6 million property was purchased by the County and transformed into a hub perfectly aligned with foster youths' transition to adulthood.
Intertwined with The Hub, the Parkmoor Community Apartments reserve a significant portion of its capacity, dedicating 40 units to former foster youth, while the remainder opens its doors to individuals earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income. Supervisor Betty Duong acknowledged the importance of the development by saying, per Santa Clara County's news release, "I am so happy to be here for its grand opening. Most of all I am happy for the thousands of foster youth and young adults transitioning out of the foster system who will be able to use its facilities and services for years to come," a sentiment that was echoed by Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, who hailed the project as a youth-centered innovation that could serve as the prevention of homelessness and trauma.
Residents of Parkmoor can enjoy not only the security of affordable housing but also supplemental services meant to aid in maintaining stability and achieving personal goals as part of the County's broader efforts to tackle homelessness. Susan Ellenberg emphasized this commitment, noting, "Housing is one of the greatest challenges facing transition-age youth. Too many young people age out of foster care without a stable place to call home. That is unacceptable. Housing is the first step to stability. It is homelessness prevention, it is trauma prevention, and it is the foundation for anyone to thrive," as reported by Santa Clara County's news release. At the same time, the County's investment in affordability rings clear, with a considerable $20 million injected into the Parkmoor Community Apartments' creation, drawing from Measure A's housing bond and the No Place Like Home program.
