Work officially kicked off Wednesday on a project to build what will be the largest project in the Conejo Valley to get homeless people into permanent housing.
The Quality Inn and Suites on Conejo Boulevard in Thousand Oaks is going to be converted into apartments.
The $35 million project in Thousand Oaks will turn the former motel into a 77 unit apartment complex.
Thousand Oaks City Manager Drew Powers aid the funding is coming from multiple sources, with $27 million from the state, $6 million from Ventura County, and $2 million from the city.
"These projects are incredibly complicated, fraught with a lot of concern, but we experience the challenges of homelessness every day, and this will provide the opportunity to put roofs over the heads of 77 folks," said Powers.
Andy Meyers is President of Shangri-La Industries, which is doing the construction. He says they hope to have the complex open next spring.
"We're going to take these units and put in kitchenettes, we're going to redo them, and make them ADA compliant, HUD compliant, code compliant in every way and lease them out to individuals," said Meyers.
In addition to the housing, the complex will have on-site social services to help the formerly homeless get their lives back on track.
