The numbers from the recently-opened Sunrise Senior Apartments in Hollister indicate the need for such housing in the region.
The 49-unit complex, which began welcoming residents in January, saw 225 applicants hopeful to grab one of the one-bedroom units, according to Alfred Diaz-Infante, president of Salinas-based Community Housing Improvement Systems & Planning Association, Inc. (CHISPA), which owns the development.
A total of 41 units have already been filled, he said, and the rest of the applications were expected to be processed by the end of February.
The community housing firm held a grand opening celebration for the new apartments at 580 Westside Blvd. on Feb. 21, in a ceremony that drew local, state and federal legislators.
The apartments are rented to low-income individuals aged 62 years or older.
Rents average $445 a month for the one-bedroom apartments that range in size from 568 to 632 square feet.
The all-electric building also has solar panels on the roof to generate power for the common areas such as a community room, outdoor patio and fitness room.
Central Coast Residential Builders was the contractor for the development, which also included 37 subcontractors and suppliers.
Construction for the $18.6 million project was funded through a variety of lenders, including $1 million from the City of Hollister’s Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Fund and $500,000 from its inclusionary housing fund, according to Mayor Ignacio Velazquez.
Five of the apartments are reserved for homeless veterans referred by the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of those veterans is John Wolgamott, who served in the Marine Corps for 15 years but had been homeless for more than two decades.
Wolgamott said he was thankful for the apartment, but quipped that it’s “not much bigger than a cracker box.”
“My apartment reminds me of my first master officer’s quarters,” he said.
Velazquez said he’s known Wolgamott for a number of years, and called the Sunrise Senior Apartments “special.”
“Hollister and San Benito County are turning the homeless situation around,” he said. “We are making big strides on it. If we keep working as partners, within five years, San Benito County will be a county without a homeless issue. We can do it.”
