HHSA buys shelter home in town (again)

The newest neighbor on Bullion Street is the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).

The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of the home at 5130 Bullion Street for $610,000.

The five bedroom duplex will be used to house Medi-Cal recipients who are homeless, have serious mental illness or substance use disorders.

The home is part of the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program (BHBH) and receives federal funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other social service funds.

HHSA operates 10 homes that provide permanent and transition housing for 24 people. Those 10 homes are all rentals, and nine are in Mariposa.

But this is not the first time HHSA has purchased a home for such a purpose.

In August 2021, HHSA with the board approval, bought 5124 Jones Street for $250,000.

There was a reason for that price discount.

The home had asbestos and lead levels that HHSA later determined made the home uninhabitable.

In fact, those same concerns were identified when it was purchased.

A county staff report noted “asbestos and lead at the site that would require hazardous material removal.”

The house also had structural, electrical and plumbing issues.

“Inspections have identified significant costs that would be incurred prior to occupancy,” the staff report said in 2021.

The house has since been demolished. It is now a vacant lot and still owned by HHSA.

The story of the Jones house blunder has not been previously reported, and the circumstances might still not be known if it wasn’t for Mariposa resident Jeanne-Ann Pine.

Pine was observing the board of supervisor meeting on Nov. 20, when HHSA Director Kristina Keheley briefly mentioned the Jones Street address and how it was uninhabitable.

During the public comment period, Pine asked incredulously, “You bought a house and then found out it was uninhabitable?”

Keheley pointed out that the house was purchased before she became director.

“I don’t have a great answer for you. We will do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Keheley said.

Shannon Gadd was the director of HHSA at the time. She lasted a year and a half in the position. She was a former commissioner for Kentucky’s Department of Aging.

County Administrator Joe Lynch, who succeeded Gadd as director of HHSA, said those involved with the purchase of the Jones home are “no longer here.”

Lynch said it was a “poor decision to purchase the property” on Jones Street.

At the time, HHSA was struggling with whether to place families in hotels or emergency shelters.

Homelessness changed in many ways during the pandemic, especially in rural areas due to the lack of affordable housing, unemployment and addiction.

In California, 22,500 people became homeless from 2019-2022, according to a report from CalMatters. During that period California spent $24 billion on homelessness.

Supportive housing through HHSA tries to provide an off-ramp of sorts.

It offers so-called “wraparound” support services that include case management and support for behavioral health and substance use.

HHSA said the system is a cost-effective alternative to emergency services and institutional care.

The cost to house 24 people averages $111,266 a year, while psychiatric hospitalization costs averaged $161,262 for the same number of people, according to data provided by HHSA.

The supportive housing approach encourages skills that promote good tenancy, like cooking, cleaning and balancing a budget.

Since July 2022, HHSA has housed 34 people, including 12 children and 22 adults. About 30 percent are still residing in permanent housing. None have returned to homelessness, according to HHSA.

Mandi Brum, a division director of administrative services for HHSA, said neighbors of the 10 homes the agency currently rents don’t even know the type of housing that’s there. She said 911 calls are very low.

What about the vacant lot on Jones Street?

“We don’t know what we’ll do with Jones Street,” Keheley said.

She said HHSA might consider building a family visitation center at the location.

“It would be a cost savings if we do it,” she said.

Supervisor Shannon Poe asked what is in place to make sure a mistake like this, purchasing a home just to tear it down, doesn’t happen again.

Lynch said there is a “more experienced crew” at HHSA.