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COMMUNITY CELEBRATES WALLBREAKING
FOR THE PALACE HOTEL RENOVATION
Construction Begins on New Homes for Youth Transitioning from Foster Care to Adulthood

LONG BEACH, Calif., June 21, 2010 — A wall-break ceremony was held today to mark the start of LINC Housing’s renovation of the historic Palace Hotel. LINC Housing, United Friends of the Children (UFC), The Long Beach Housing Development Company (LBHDC), and the City of Long Beach are partnering to create a better future for youth who age out of the foster care system. In Long Beach alone, there are more than 1,000 children in foster care. And according to UFC, without a meaningful intervention, the majority of these young people will become homeless or chronically unemployed within two to four years of leaving foster care.

“Our goal here is to build a bridge for these young people so they can succeed,” said Long Beach City Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell at the ceremony. Hunter Johnson, LINC Housing president and CEO, added, “We’re going to turn in this former blighted, abandoned hotel into a place of hope for its residents.”

Through LINC Housing’s renovation and the implementation of UFC’s innovative Pathways to Independence program, former foster youth will have the opportunity to access the critical education, employment, and life skills they need to become successfully independent — all within the safety and security of their own apartment.

Susanna Gonzales, an alumnus of UFC’s Pathways to Independence program shared with ceremony attendees the important role UFC played in her success. “Just give us a chance," she said. “We’re going to create a great future…we’re not going to let you down.”

When the renovation is complete, The Palace Hotel will be home to 13 of these at-risk 18- to 24- year olds. LINC will convert the historic hotel, built in 1929, into 13 studio apartments, a manager’s unit, common areas, and offices to help provide services to the residents. The update will include a variety of sustainability features including Energy Star appliances, recycled materials, a high efficiency HVAC system, and dual-flush toilets. Photovoltaic and fuel cell technology will also be incorporated to help reduce the amount of electricity needed from the electric company. The Palace Hotel is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

There will also be retail space on the first floor that LINC hopes will employ some of the residents. With a building lifespan of more than 50 years, the site will be a safe and stable home to hundreds of disadvantaged foster youth.

A portion of the $6 million in funding for The Palace Hotel comes from the federal stimulus package included in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act creating many local construction jobs. Additional support for The Palace Hotel comes from the LBHDC, The Federal Home Loan Bank, US Bank, Preservation Partners, The Ahmanson Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association, and the National Trust Loan Fund through dollars from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The architect for the renovation is Killefer Flammang Architects, and Dreyfuss Construction is the general contractor.

About LINC Housing Corporation
LINC Housing, one of California’s most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, has helped create more than 6,500 homes in 59 communities throughout the state. The organization’s properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. LINC has 27 years of service to families, seniors, and local governments helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation.

About The Long Beach Housing Development Company
The Long Beach Housing Development Company was established by the City of Long Beach in 1989 to assist in the creation and development of affordable housing. The LBHDC’s mission is to provide safe and livable neighborhoods in Long Beach by promoting, developing, and preserving decent, safe and affordable housing for the very low-, low- and moderate-income residents of Long Beach. The LBHDC offers a range of low cost financing, subsidies and other forms of financial assistance to encourage the development of affordable housing that improves the quality of life of the residents it serves.

About United Friends of the Children
United Friends of the Children (UFC) was founded by Nancy M. Daly to respond to the unmet needs of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable and underserved population — foster youth. Since 1979, UFC has been at the forefront of identifying gaps in services to foster youth and creating programs to fill them. UFC’s primary goal is to aid foster youth in becoming self sufficient adults. This is accomplished through UFC’s housing and education programs, which use a uniquely intensive relational model to develop strong and lasting bonds with the youth served. UFC’s Pathways Transitional Living Program provides quality housing and a broad range of supportive services in a program model that demands increasing levels of personal responsibility and initiative, helping foster youth to avoid homelessness upon their emancipation from care. UFC’s Education Programs follow foster youth from middle through high school graduation, preparing them to become competitive applicants to four-year universities. Upon entering college UFC provides foster youth with financial support and guidance, helping them to earn bachelor’s degrees at a rate much higher than the general population. UFC serves 1,400 LA County foster youth annually and receives 80% of its funding through private donations from individuals, foundations and corporations.   www.unitedfriends.org

  The Palace Hotel Wall-Break Event Release