Newly restored Capitol Park Hotel re-opens as permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness
Sacramento (Jan 8, 2024) Sacramento’s historic Capitol Park Hotel reopens this week as St. Clare at Capitol Park, a permanent supportive housing complex for people experiencing homelessness.
The St. Clare has 134 remodeled studio apartments and ground floor retail spaces in two towers at the corner of Ninth and L streets, one built in 1911 and the other in 1912. Each apartment has a bathroom and kitchenette with special safety features built into the fixtures and appliances. The buildings also have meeting spaces, community gathering rooms, offices for caseworkers to meet with clients, basement bicycle storage, and laundry facilities.
“St. Clare at Capitol Park will be a new community where the formerly unhoused will find not just shelter, but the beginnings of a hopeful tomorrow,” said Rich Ciraulo, Regional Director of Real Estate Development for Mercy Housing California. “To have accomplished this while also restoring and preserving a beautiful historic building in the heart of our downtown is an achievement that can fill every Sacramentan with pride.”
The first group of 80 residents will start moving in this week, Ciraulo said. Mercy Housing took ownership of the former SRO and completely reconstructed the interiors. The City of Sacramento contributed $20.3 million to the project and used the property as an emergency shelter for 18 months starting in 2019.
Fifty four additional residents will move in when the building receives its full occupancy permit, which has been delayed because of supply chain problems in obtaining electrical switching components. This issue has affected the construction of many housing projects in the past few years.
Sixty-five of the units in the St. Clare were funded by the Mental Health Services Act, the so-called “millionaire’s tax” authored by Mayor Darrell Steinberg when he served in the Legislature. These units will be reserved for people experiencing homelessness and living with a serious mental illness. Residents will receive behavioral health services from Sacramento County.
“It is gratifying to see these dollars going to work helping some of the most vulnerable people suffering on our streets,” Mayor Steinberg said. “More permanent housing, more shelter, and assertive enforcement of our city ordinances are combining to help more people and reduce the impacts of unsheltered homelessness on our community.”
Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents downtown, said she was “really pleased to see this beautiful building welcome its first residents.”
“It wasn’t an easy road to get here, but I really applaud Mercy Housing and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for persevering to get this critical project done. Bringing more residents downtown helps everyone, and it will ensure that future tenants have all the resources they need to live long and healthy lives in their new home.”
The St. Clare is the second permanent supportive housing complex to open downtown in the past two months. Sacramento Central Studios opened at 11th and H in December with 92 studio apartments. The hotel was renovated with $23.9 million from the state’s Homekey program and $7.4 million from the City and SHRA. Residents in both projects are placed through referral from the 211 coordinated access system operated by non-profit Sacramento Steps Forward.
