The last few years have been rough for James Workman. Nearly a decade ago, the Ventura County man suffered a back injury during a hike. After failing to get disability payments, he found himself homeless.
"I was basically unhoused since 2015, when I applied for disability," said Workman. "I couch surfed but primarily lived in my van for the last seven years."
Things have improved for the 62-year-old man. He was able to get into temporary housing and has finally been declared eligible for disability payments. Workman has just moved into a groundbreaking new permanent supportive housing project in Ventura, where he has his own studio apartment.
"I just moved into this a week ago. It's hot water. It's a roof over our head," said Workman.
Workman is living at Valentine Road, a development in Ventura. It's a former La Quinta Inn at Highway 101 and Victoria Avenue that's now serving as permanent supportive housing.
"This is a hotel being converted into permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness," said Jeffrey Lambert, CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura, the agency spearheading the project. "It was a 144-unit motel. We're going to convert it into 134 units of permanent supportive housing. We've just completed the first half. We have 63 units completed and renovated. We've moved 39 people into units so far."
"The City of Ventura has provided a significant amount of funding," explained Lambert. "So did Ventura County. The state provided the original Homekey (program) funding, which allowed us to buy the property. And then we have a private investor called Enterprise. Their tax credit investment gave us another $22 million. Altogether, the project cost about $77 million."
Construction started in the spring of last year. Plans call for it to be done by January of 2026, with full occupancy next spring.
Workman is thrilled about his new home. He said it was especially hard for him to get subsidized housing because he has a four-legged friend, and many apartment managers don’t want tenants with dogs. He points to his dog, Sergeant, a ten-year-old Doberman Pinscher.
"He's the best, he's really smart," said Workman.
Did having the dog make it harder for him to find housing?
"Absolutely," said Workman. He said there was a period when he could have had housing, but he stayed in his van because they wouldn't accept his dog.
Lambert said projects like this are helping the fight against homelessness. The most recent survey shows the number of unhoused people in Ventura has dropped, bucking the overall trend for the last few years. He said it’s nice to see people seem to like the new housing complex.
"I came here the other day, and sat next to one of the residents, and she said, 'I'm in my forever home.' That's something meaningful."
Workman said the new Valentine Road project residents are already creating their own little community. "My next door neighbor over here, she's blind, so I help her with her breakfast in the morning and the eyedrops she needs for her eyes. There's an older woman who likes to go out to the smoking area, so I walk her out. I know most of these people."
Workman said that after living in his van for years, having a place he can call home feels amazing.
"Sergeant and I have a permanent spot. I never thought this day would come. It's been overwhelming!"
