Photo courtesy of the City of Ventura.
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Valentine Road Apartments reaches full occupancy with 151 residents housed
VENTURA — Ventura Housing, in partnership with the City of Ventura and the County of Ventura, is pleased to announce the grand opening and 100% occupancy of Valentine Road Apartments. The development transformed a former La Quinta Inn into 134 units of permanent supportive housing through a $32 million Homekey grant from the State of California. The Valentine Road Apartments represent the largest Homekey Project completed in both the City and County of Ventura and is a cornerstone of the regional and statewide effort to address homelessness through permanent supportive housing.
According to the Ventura County Continuum of Care’s 2026 Point-in-Time Count, homelessness in Ventura County declined 11.8% from 2025 and 28% since 2023. The report attributes part of that decline to the expansion of permanent supportive housing countywide, including the 134 units at Valentine Road Apartments.
“This milestone represents years of partnership, persistence, and a shared belief that housing changes lives,” said Ventura Mayor Dr. Jeannette Sánchez Palacios. “We’re grateful to Ventura Housing for their partnership and investment in permanent supportive housing for community members experiencing homelessness. Valentine Road is now home to 151 residents and stands as a powerful example of how cities, counties, nonprofits, and state partners can work together to create meaningful, lasting solutions to homelessness.”
Residents, community members, and project partners gathered at the Valentine Road Apartments for the grand opening celebration on May 21, 2026, marking the formal completion of a project three years in the making.
“This is all about our community working together,” said Jeffrey Lambert, CEO of Ventura Housing. “There is still a significant unhoused population in Ventura, and the work is far from over. But I know the heart of this community will keep driving us forward.”
In honor of the grand opening, a Health and Wellness Fair was held in the Valentine Road Apartments’ courtyard, connecting residents with partner agencies, health organizations, and community resources, including haircuts, free shoes and socks, a pet clinic, mobile pet grooming, and the newly unveiled on-site community library. The fair reflected the project’s broader mission: ensuring residents have access not only to stable housing, but to the services and supports that make that stability lasting.
“This is not just a community,” said Patrick Gear, a Valentine Road resident. “This is now my extended family. We started from the river bottom, and we are now here.”
The 134 units at the Valentine Road Apartments currently house 151 residents, including one toddler. Of those residents, 54 were identified as literally homeless, or living in a place not meant for habitation, and 64 were identified as chronically homeless, anyone who has a diagnosable disability and has been homeless for more than one year at the time they were housed, exceeding the project’s original goals in both categories. Most residents previously lived in Ventura and are now able to remain in the community. Each unit is fully furnished through donations to ATLAS’s “Road Home” Campaign, an initiative of ATLAS, the affiliate nonprofit of Ventura Housing, with support from Yardi Systems Inc. and other collaborators.
A layered financing structure combining state, local, and private investment made the conversion and construction of the Valentine Road Apartments possible. The California Department of Housing and Community Development provided foundational Homekey funding. The City of Ventura contributed $6 million, with the County of Ventura committing $15.5 million in permanent funding, including a $5.5 million grant and $10 million through Ventura County Behavioral Health. Additionally, the County provided a $5 million construction loan at a below-market interest rate to support the project. This support reflects a coordinated city and county strategy that treats housing and health as interconnected priorities. Additional financing was provided by Enterprise Community Partners, J.P. Morgan, Housing Trust Fund Ventura County, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and Ventura Housing. McCarthy Companies completed the conversion on time and under budget.
“The opening of the Valentine Road Apartments as the largest Homekey project in Ventura County marks a major milestone in our commitment to addressing homelessness through long-term, compassionate solutions,” said District 1 Supervisor Matt LaVere “This achievement reflects the power of partnership between the State, the County of Ventura, the City of Ventura, and our community-based organizations, all working together to create permanent supportive housing that provides stability, dignity, and opportunity for residents in need. Permanent supportive housing is one of the most effective tools we have to help people on the journey out of homelessness and strengthen the health of our entire community.”
On-site services are provided in partnership with Ventura County Behavioral Health and include case management, mental health services, and employment support designed to help residents maintain long-term housing stability.
“This grand opening represents far more than the completion of a housing project – it reflects what is possible when local and state partners come together with urgency, compassion, and a shared commitment to ending homelessness,” said Dr. Sevet Johnson, Ventura County Executive Officer. “The Valentine Road Apartments will provide not only a safe and stable place to live for residents who have experienced homelessness, but also the supportive services needed to help them rebuild their lives and thrive long-term. This community stands as a powerful example of how permanent supportive housing can create lasting change for both residents and the broader community.”
Additional community features also include a partnership with the Humane Society of Ventura County, which provides regular mobile veterinary services, allowing residents to keep their pets and removing a significant barrier that many individuals experiencing homelessness face when seeking housing and shelter. As well, residents have helped create a special community environment since occupancy began, which includes a community garden, on-site art programming through the Vita Art Center, and a newly unveiled community library designed by McCarthy Companies and gifted by Housing Trust Fund Ventura County. A mural, created and currently being painted by Last Place Arts Club, is visible from Victoria Avenue and further establishes Valentine Road Apartments as a lasting part of the Ventura community.