HOPE Plans for Capital Improvements Over the Next Several Years
The six-unit complex on Lemon Avenue has served as a vital source of affordable housing for years. With support from the funders, HOPE is now planning a series of much-needed upgrades—starting with a new on-site laundry unit that will make everyday life easier for residents.
Behind every HOPE home is a promise—to preserve safe, comfortable, and dignified housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That promise takes constant care and long-term planning. Over the past year, HOPE invested over half a million dollars in capital improvements across its housing portfolio, and the team is already laying the groundwork for the next phase of upgrades and repairs. From required upgrades to ensure that we are keeping pace with the aging of the homes, to accessibility modifications to ensure that the homes meet the needs of our aging residents: the HOPE Team is working diligently to raise funds, employ expertise, and make repairs and modifications which will result in the high quality housing our residents deserve.
Our goal at HOPE is to be pro-active and not reactive, and that means we have performed capital needs assessments on each of HOPE’s 99 homes across Southern California. A capital needs assessment is an inspection, and accompanying report, which ages all of the major systems and items, so that we can have a good estimate on when items need to be replaced. For example, if a typical water heater is good for 10 years, and we know when it was installed, we know exactly when we should look to replace it. A capital needs assessment captures all of this information across a house or building, and really lays out the roadmap for future repair work. Our goal at HOPE is replacing systems in advance of their anticipated break-down or failure so as that our residents never see a disruption in their lives due to mechanical our systems failures.
Finally, HOPE’s communities see more wear and tear than many typical homes might see: additional traffic in an out of the home due to staffing and supports for residents, wear and tear on flooring due to wheelchairs, etc., all add up to a constant need to upgrade and repair the homes with durable materials that feel home-like but are made to last. We do not sacrifice aesthetics in this effort, and so in the end, our residents live in a house that feels like a “home”
HOPE’s Team, lead by the diligent efforts of CFO Charles DeCuir, has been working closely with Cathay Bank and Brown & Brown Insurance to safeguard the financial health of these properties. Each month HOPE set asides funding from its operations to support the ongoing reserve needs of the property, as is standard in federal, state, and city funded housing, of which most of HOPE’s 99 homes all into this category. The rising costs of construction add an additional layer of complexity in ensuring HOPE is keeping pace. Additional grant and city funding is being pursued to expand the organization’s capacity for larger capital projects—one of which is already underway at the Lemon Avenue property in Long Beach.
The six-unit complex on Lemon Avenue has served as a vital source of affordable housing for years, thanks in large part to the City of Long Beach HOME program. With additional support from grant funders throughout the years, and more recently the Ahmanson Foundation: HOPE is now planning a series of much-needed upgrades—starting with a new on-site laundry unit that will make everyday life easier for residents. The team is exploring options for energy-efficient electric water heaters, reconfiguring plumbing, and improving heating systems for comfort and safety. Even small details—like lowering heating vents, adding exterior safety lighting, and repainting the back security gate—are being thoughtfully addressed.
Rose, one of HOPE’s construction project managers, has been leading the coordination effort. On any given week, she’s on-site meeting with the general contractors and their sub contractors, as well as the HOPE Team, to perform needed due diligence, coordinate with So Cal Edison for upgraded power, and meet with designers. Together, this Team is reimagining the outdoor area as a welcoming, family-friendly space—white vinyl fencing, string lights zig-zagging overhead, and shaded seating for residents to relax and gather. Overall, it’s a complex process involving plumbing, electrical work, and coordination between multiple trades—but to Rose it’s worth every detail. “These improvements don’t just maintain our buildings,” she says. “They protect the stability and comfort of the people who call them home.”
In addition, this year marks major improvements at HOPE’s two small apartment communities in Pasadena, largely funded by the City of Pasadena’s HOME program. The nine units in total, across the two sites, will all see upgrades, building improvements, and safety modifications to ensure the long term success of our Pasadena residents there. The overall budget for the renovations is nearly $750,000. Our Banner property in Long Beach just recently finished electrical upgrades of over $300,000. And in FY ‘25-’26 HOPE will have addressed needs at over two dozen of our smaller licensed and affordable properties, approaching nearly a million dollars in improvements.
As HOPE continues to grow, capital improvements like these ensure that every property remains a lasting part of the developmental disability housing system—safe, affordable, and cared for with the same dedication that defines HOPE’s mission. We couldn’t be more grateful for the support of donors, foundations, cities, and state and federal funding agencies which have supported this important part of our mission.