St. Ambrose Place
Learn more about this beautiful
senior affordable housing community
Total Units: 59
- 30 apartment homes for low-income seniors
- 28 homes for seniors who have experienced or who are at risk of experiencing homelessness
- 1 apartment home for an onsite manager
Onsite Amenities
- Onsite supportive services
- Onsite case management
- Senior-oriented community room
- Sustainable design
- Outdoor recreational spaces
- Technology Hub
- Active and passive landscape areas
- Outdoor seating and BBQs
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, in partnership with National CORE, is proposing to develop a new residential community affordable to lower-income seniors ages 62+ in the City of Claremont. The apartment home community will include a host of recreational amenities, including a senior-oriented community room to serve as a hub for supportive services and programs accessible to residents living onsite.
The development will be designed to enhance the church and surrounding community through sustainable design and compatible architectural elements to connect the site to the neighborhood.
The development will help address the significant and growing need for affordable housing for residents of advanced age, especially those at risk of homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley. It also will provide jobs and financial reinvestment in the neighborhood.
St. Ambrose will continue to be the property owner and will work closely with National CORE, which will develop, build and manage the apartment community for a minimum of 99 years.
Building the Future of Community
For more than 30 years, National CORE has been building award-winning developments in under-resourced neighborhoods, revitalizing the community, bringing new investment and opportunities and providing the physical platform for community and social change.
As a vertically integrated organization, National CORE engages in all phases of development – planning, development, construction, property management and resident services – to establish “complete communities.” A leader in energy efficiency and sustainability, National CORE is committed to delivering cost-contained, high-performance developments. National CORE has been named a LEED for Homes Power Builder for five consecutive years.
In 2021, National CORE became only the second affordable housing developer in the nation to earn an A+ credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings. That credit rating was affirmed in 2022.
Development Timeline
- Community Outreach: Ongoing, Started August 2023
- Design and Financing: 2023-2025
- Construction: 2026-2028
- Anticipated Opening: Early 2028
Contact Information
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the history of how this project was initiated?
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church contacted Episcopal Community Services (ECS) about potentially developing affordable housing, including the possibility of special needs housing for homeless individuals on their land. ECS connected St. Ambrose with National CORE, which has more than five Church-partnership projects financed and under construction, including two Episcopal Church sites. National CORE and St. Ambrose entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
What is affordable housing?
Affordable housing is housing that a household can pay for, while still having money left over for other necessities like food, transportation and health care. What’s considered “affordable” depends on a household’s income. Most National CORE projects are for households earning 80% of the area median income or below.
What amount is represented by “80% of the Area Median Income”?
The amount a person will qualify for is based on household size. Income thresholds change annually and are based on county median information. For 2023, the Los Angeles County Area Median Income (or AMI) was $98,200. The Area Median Income is the bar for which income limits are based. For a one-bedroom senior household, 50% AMI currently equates to a household’s income that does not exceed $44,150 while 80% AMI equates to a household’s income that does not exceed $70,650 annually.
Why does my city need to have affordable housing?
The idea that affordable housing doesn’t belong in a location (i.e. Not In My Back Yard) is directly linked to rising racial segregation, deepening economic inequality and a greater shortage of housing across California. According to the Claremont’s Housing Element, there is an existing population of homeless individuals, and there are likely City residents who have relocated to other areas of Los Angeles County. This means there is a local need for more affordable housing. With the California housing shortage affecting ALL communities, it will take a regional effort to solve the problem. If each city builds its fair share, the overall housing supply will increase, improving affordability and equity regionally. This will also benefit future generations looking to live near their families and aging populations whose incomes are declining.
What is supportive housing?
Supportive housing combines community-based affordable housing with access to tailored, voluntary services to help individuals and families with disabilities maintain long-term housing stability and independence. Typically, supportive housing is designed for people who are homeless or are otherwise unstably housed, who experience multiple barriers to housing, and who are unable to maintain housing stability without supportive services.
Why do we need supportive housing? How is it effective?
People who are homeless or otherwise unstably housed have experiences that generate a lot of stress. Research shows that providing a stable home with onsite supportive services is the most effective way to end homelessness. Resources for residents are provided onsite and include mental and physical health services, employment support and case management. Residents of supportive homes are assisted every day to help rebuild their lives and become productive members of their community.
Once housing is developed at St. Ambrose who will own the land (i.e. who legally has title)?
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church will continue to own the land where the future housing is proposed. National CORE will construct, own and operate the buildings developed on the land and will pay the church a ground lease payment in return. St. Ambrose will have the first right of refusal (first opportunity) to purchase the buildings at the end of the financing period.
What outreach will occur for the project?
A detailed public participation plan has been developed in partnership with the church and city staff. We have held a series of small group meetings with community organizations, neighborhood groups, elected officials and neighbors. The first meeting open to the general public is on Feb. 8 to solicit input and answer questions from the community ahead of any applications for funding or design submittals. The church and National CORE will continue to conduct outreach to the community, stakeholders and key city representatives throughout the life of the project.
How will individual neighbors be notified about the development and community meetings?
Typically, a project-specific invitation is mailed to each property owner within a specific radius of the project site to notify them about any public meetings. National CORE is careful to follow all city requirements for noticing and will collaborate with the church to determine the best approach to notifying neighbors. For the Feb 8 meeting, a 1,000-foot radius map and mailing labels were prepared by a third-party company. Postcards notifying neighbors of the meeting were mailed at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Local organizations and stakeholders were also provided email invites to the meeting.
How long will it take before residents can move in?
It can take between four to six years from when a project starts the entitlement process to when residents can move in. National CORE entered into Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with the Church in 2022. The next steps are:
- Architecture and site planning (building design, parking spaces, amenities, etc.) in partnership with the Church Design Committee and Vestry.
- Program design (who will this development serve, what services will be offered, staffing levels, etc.).
The goal is to be far enough along in the development process to submit plans to the city and funding applications starting in early to mid-2024, with construction starting in 2025 at the earliest.
How and who choses who gets to live in the housing?
National CORE and our supportive services provider, Union Station, will work with several public entity partners, including: the Los Angeles County Departments of Health Services (DHS), Mental Health (DMH), Public Health (DPH), Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Public Social Services (DPSS), along with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and the Los Angeles Homeless Community Development Corporation (LACDA). Together, we will match residents with this housing opportunity and provide continuous case management service for the supportive housing units. The partners will work with each household to understand their strengths and needs and to connect them with appropriate resources.
What share of homes will be reserved for those who can demonstrate recent residency in Claremont?
Due to Fair Housing Law, we cannot require that residents must be from the city. However, we are successful with renting to residents through locally focused and targeted marketing. For example, we will advertise on the city’s website and social media to notify residents. We will also work with local health, service and faith-based organizations to market the apartments to local seniors.
Who will be the service providers on site?
National CORE has specially trained staff who live and work onsite, but residents also will be supported by a variety of services through Los Angeles County. We will also partner with specialized organizations, such as Union Station Homeless Services, to ensure our residents are provided comprehensive wrap-around services to support their success.
What is the average length of stay or the turnover rate?
Our senior residents tend to age in place until they can no longer live independently. Since this will be a traditional lease-based rental apartment property, not an emergency shelter or transitional housing, we do not anticipate a high turnover rate.
How are residents screened?
As with renting any apartment on the market, a thorough background check, including criminal background screening, will be conducted for all applicants. No sex offenders or individuals who have been convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine will be approved to live at the property. Additionally, applicants may be ineligible if they have been arrested, convicted or have engaged in drug-related or violent criminal activity within the prior five years.
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Building the Future of Community
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