Community Impact in Action: CHOC’s Partnership at Howe Gardens
Helping working families and formerly houseless residents thrive
At first glance, Howe Gardens will look like any other multifamily community in Sacramento. Families will wave to one another, and kids will come home after a full day at school. Behind every door, a story of stability will be in motion for residents.
The plan for the 176 apartments at Howe Gardens includes 32 Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) apartments, where CHOC Community Impact will be in partnership with Sacramento’s Sutter Capital Group. Created through private investment and local county support, the PSH apartments at Howe Gardens will offer flexibility to serve the formerly houseless, while the remaining 142 apartments will be designated for working families.
For many, it will be the first real place they’ve felt at home in years. And with the support from CHOC Impact, residents will not only have affordable housing, but also the services needed to ensure long-term housing success – opening the door to opportunity, health, and human connection.
Animation courtesy of Sutter Capital Group.
CHOC Community Impact’s Role at Howe Gardens
CHOC Impact’s mission is to help every family build stability and thrive through an approach that cares for the whole person.
At Howe Gardens, CHOC Community Impact will bring its proven approach to supportive housing – combining stable homes with personalized, on-site services that help residents build lasting success.
Our Resident Services team will be based within the community, working closely with residents who have experienced housing instability to strengthen their foundations for long-term stability. Through consistent engagement and individualized support, CHOC Impact staff will help residents navigate the practical and personal aspects of maintaining housing – from understanding lease responsibilities and budgeting to connecting with health, employment, and community resources.
CHOC Impact’s work at Howe Gardens is rooted in compassion and partnership. By being present on site and collaborating with local providers and property management, our team helps ensure residents have the tools and relationships needed to sustain housing and thrive. This approach turns supportive housing into a platform for growth – creating opportunities for stability, wellness, and belonging.
Health and wellness are also woven into CHOC Community Impact’s support, too. The team offers warm referrals to healthcare and behavioral health services, along with wellness education. Our staff helps residents access vital benefits like SSI, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh, as well as transportation assistance, to make sure every family receives support.
Along with these services, our staff also creates opportunities for our residents to connect with one another. Through activities that foster belonging, civic engagement, and social activities, the families living at our affordable housing communities like Howe Gardens are able to feel they belong. Regular check-ins and crisis prevention planning help our families stay steady through challenging times. CHOC Impact monitors outcomes related to housing retention, tracking how residents are doing and ultimately reducing crises.
Howe Gardens is an excellent example of supportive housing that will be integrated within a mixed-income community. In the end, this model benefits both residents and the neighborhood by promoting readiness, stability, and partnership.
CHOC Community Impact’s Mission
Across the entire state of California, CHOC Community Impact provides quality Resident Services for CHOC’s affordable housing communities. Since 1998, the division has served families, seniors, and adults with comprehensive support needs. Using an equity lens and a community approach, CHOC Impact empowers youth, seniors, and working families, encourages strong communities, and cultivates partnerships that improve quality of life for very low- to moderate-income households.
”Our mission is to help families be self-sustainable and stay housed,” says Juan Pulido, Community Impact Resident Services Director. “By providing services across all our sites, whether it’s required or not, we believe our residents deserve a healthy and thriving environment to live in.”
It’s that ethos that drives CHOC Community Impact’s collaborative approach. Our division works closely with residents at every CHOC community, striving to know everyone in every household. We also work directly with property management and other community partners to tailor our services and respond to the real-life needs of residents.
At the core of each CHOC Community Impact program is decades of experience, a proven framework, and heart. Annual planning, quarterly strategy reviews, and a strength-based model focus on what residents can achieve. This approach makes sure that every program is designed to help our families reach a place of lasting stability.
Image courtesy of Sutter Capital Group.
Image courtesy of Sutter Capital Group.
Helping Working Families Thrive
Even though they are housed, many CHOC families are one paycheck, one medical emergency, or one car breakdown away from crisis. “Nothing is as valuable as having two feet on the ground — knowing where your front door is,” says Ray, a resident at one of our Southern California communities. That feeling of stability is what we aim to give to each CHOC family.
Through rental and utility assistance, emergency food access, and financial literacy workshops, CHOC Impact continues to support working families living at our multifamily communities across California. Through early intervention, education, and supportive services, CHOC Community Impact helps keep residents housed, not at risk of houselessness.
We also create workshops that offer education in budgeting, credit, and pathways to homeownership. Each workshop takes a multigenerational approach, making sure that children, parents, and even grandparents are part of the conversation. This engaging programming fosters not only financial stability, but also hope and resilience within our communities.
Community Commitment
Once open, Howe Gardens will soon become an example of how supportive housing can coexist with market-rate housing and benefit the entire community. It will become a model for inclusive design, where stability and opportunity can go hand in hand. Howe Gardens residents working with CHOC Impact will have a potentially brighter, more sustainable future, meeting their goals as CHOC meets its mission.
Learn more about CHOC Community Impact and how we’re helping Californians build strong, stable futures.
Founded in 1984, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC) is a non-profit affordable housing developer, energy, services and property management provider headquartered in Fairfield, CA; we create and manage equitable communities for individuals, families, seniors, and those with special needs. CHOC believes that economically integrated affordable housing is key to self-sufficiency and achievable with enriching, supportive programs that instill pride in residents, stabilize families, and improve local economies. Visit CHOCHousing.org.