CHIP receives grants for Camp Fire housing recovery efforts

Oct. 8--The Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) has received more than a half-million dollars in grants from the North Valley Community Foundation's Butte Strong Fund and the California Community Foundation to help CHIP address Camp Fire housing recovery efforts, according to a press release.

A pair of $280,000 grants from the two foundations will help CHIP ramp up production on multi-family housing and single-family housing projects. CHIP was identified in a recent study, "Strengthening the Safety Net of Butte County," as a vital affordable housing developer with the capability of developing "more units, more quickly," according to the press release.

"Words cannot express how grateful we are for the investment in our organization by North Valley Community Foundation," said Seana O'Shaghnessy, president/CEO of CHIP, in the press release. "Their partnership provides important, early funding that will enable us to accelerate our current pipeline of projects, as well as invest in future projects and creative solutions."

O'Shaghnessy said the funding will help CHIP address the community's need for housing, both within the burn scar and the surrounding area; strategically support recovery efforts; and build and maintain quality housing that is well-integrated into the community where it is located.

"Housing is one of our region's top needs post-Camp Fire," O'Shaghnessy said. "CHIP is determined to tackle this need and get families into permanent, stable housing as quickly as possible. These grants will help make our goals attainable."

The grants will allow CHIP to hire help to rebuild Paradise Community Village, a 36-unit complex that burned in the Camp Fire; build Creekside Place, a 101-unit senior complex in Chico; and develop up to three additional multi-family projects in the area.

The funding will also bolster CHIP's current homeownership program, called Rural Self-Help, and develop new programs specific to disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts.

CHIP is considering several potential programs in the coming months, including manufactured housing construction for homeownership or rental, a support role in the Building Resource Center, restoring mobile home parks, partnerships with developers, rent-to-own financing, accessory dwelling units and mixed-income/mixed-use developments.

"CHIP has been building essential housing in our region for more than 45 years," O'Shaughnessy said. "We are 100 percent invested in making our community better and are committed to being here for the long haul -- through the recovery and beyond."

Even before the grant, CHIP already had hundreds of homes and multi-family units in the pipeline. It expects to have 32 homes finished before the end of the year in Corning and Cottonwood, 87 homes next year or early 2021 in Orland and Corning, and 33 homes started next year in Biggs and Williams. CHIP is starting pre-development work on up to 40 homes in Paradise and up to 122 homes in Thermalito.

"Our Butte Strong Fund committee recognizes CHIP as a vital community partner when it comes to building badly needed affordable housing in the aftermath of the Camp Fire," said Alexa Benson-Valavanis, president and CEO of NVCF. "The track record of CHIP exhibits its ability to deliver but CHIP needs more financial support so it can grow to meet the demand. No other organization in this region is better qualified than CHIP to increase the stock of affordable housing on the scale needed after this devastating fire."

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