The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing acceptance of nearly $5 million in state funding to the city to support a new permanent housing development for veterans at risk of homelessness.
The funding will support the La Hacienda Mobile Estates Project, an 18-unit community of newly constructed manufactured homes—17 for veterans—located at 104 E. Sierra Avenue in Fresno.
The funding will also preserve the mobile homes currently on the site in an effort to prevent more displacement.
The project is designed to provide long-term, affordable housing with supportive services for veterans, couples, and small families who are either experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless, according to Phil Skei, the city’s assistant director of planning and development, who spoke at Thursday’s council meeting.
“It’s not just 17 veterans, it’s very likely that there will be more than 17 that will be served by this project,” Skei said.
For many veterans, it could be the beginning of their pipeline back into transitional housing after experiencing homelessness.
Said Councilmember Nick Richardson at the council meeting, “Bottom line, veterans, in the near future, may be making their way off the streets.”
Under the resolution, the City of Fresno, in partnership with Self-Help Enterprises and La Hacienda Mobile, LLC, will now receive approximately $4.96 million through California’s Homekey+ program, the permanent housing component of the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act, part of Proposition 1 approved by California voters in March 2024. Proposition 1 authorized billions of dollars in bond funding to expand housing and treatment options for people experiencing homelessness, including individuals with mental health or substance use challenges.
The program is administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in partnership with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). It builds on the original Homekey program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which focused largely on the rapid acquisition of hotels and other properties for interim housing.
Homekey+ shifts the emphasis toward permanent affordable housing paired with supportive services.
State officials have said that Homekey+ reflects California’s long-standing commitment to housing veterans, a population that continues to be disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness. According to National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, veterans make up approximately 5% – 7% of the unhoused population, often facing compounded challenges related to disability, mental health conditions or substance use disorders.
Self-Help Enterprises, a Central Valley–based nonprofit housing developer, will serve as a development partner on the project. The organization has been involved in a range of affordable housing efforts throughout the region, including farmworker housing, first-time homebuyer assistance and multifamily developments.
Supportive services tied to the La Hacienda project are expected to focus on housing stability, access to benefits, and connections to behavioral health and veteran-specific resources. The goal, according to program guidelines, is not only to provide shelter but to improve long-term outcomes for residents, reducing reliance on emergency services and improving overall community stability.
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