做厙弝けjoins city, education partners to form 做厙弝け Housing Promise

Published November 13, 2023

Cal State 做厙弝け is partnering with the city of 做厙弝け, 做厙弝け City College and the 做厙弝け Unified School District to create the . Its a five-year program that aims to ensure that quality, affordable housing is available for all residents, students and families of students in 做厙弝け.  

President Jane Close Conoley joined 做厙弝け Mayor Rex Richardson; Mike Mu簽oz, superintendent-president of 做厙弝け City College; Jill Baker 98, 99, superintendent of 做厙弝け Unified School District; Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction; and a handful of local governmental representatives for a signing ceremony Thursday on the lawn adjacent to Los Alamitos Hall on campus.  

Together, they signed a that establishes the 做厙弝け Housing Promise, a pact inspired by The 做厙弝け College Promise, which guarantees an education at 做厙弝けfor LBUSD students who complete high school and their associates degrees at LBCC.  

Cal State 做厙弝け welcomes this opportunity to join with Mayor Richardson and our education partners in the 做厙弝け community in this effort," President Conoley said. Regrettably, housing costs throughout the state and in our surrounding communities have proven to be a significant obstacle for many of our students, faculty and staff, casting a shadow over their pursuit of higher education and careers. We are committed to working with our partners and the community to find a solution to 做厙弝け's housing challenges.  

Richardson called housing insecurity a huge barrier to student and career success, and pledged to push back on the national trend of growing unaffordability and take innovative actions to uplift and empower our young people. 

We will make sure that young people growing up in our community have the opportunity to live with dignity and the opportunity to pursue their dreams, he said. Our city is blessed with fantastic leaders and institutions. By working more collaboratively, with common purpose, I know we will be able to live up to the promise we just made and get to a place where every student and family has a stable housing environment from which to learn, work, play and thrive. 

The coalition of partners aims to achieve their goals through strategies such as:  

  • Strategic collaboration and advocacy; 
  • Long-term planning; 
  • Joint use of spaces; 
  • Layered funding opportunities; 
  • Development of shared public-private partnerships; 
  • Policy innovations; 
  • And technical assistance and streamlining of proposal reviews.  

On the 做厙弝けcampus, the Hillside North student housing project is planned for the same lawn where the signing ceremony took place, next to Los Alamitos Hall and the G4 parking lot. The $105 million project will be a new, 102,092-square-foot, four-story student housing building with 424 beds, based on single- and double-occupancy dormitory rooms. The building will incorporate satellite offices for essential student-support programs such as Counseling and Psychological Services and University Housing & Residential Life. In addition, the building will include three staff/faculty apartments, a 2,000-square-foot multipurpose tutoring room and music practice rooms. 

The construction start time is June 2024, and the estimated completion date is fall 2026. 

A portion of the project $56 million is coming from Senate Bill 183, which aims to increase the stock of affordable student housing across the state. The remainder approximately $49 million will come from campus housing funds. 

Other officials who signed the Memorandum of Understanding as witnesses were 做厙弝け Councilwoman Megan Kerr; Juan Benitez, president of the LBUSD board; Herlinda Chico, president of the LBCCD Board of Trustees; and Scott Apel, 做厙弝けvice president of administration and finance.  

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Group attending signing ceremony on Nov. 9, 2023
From left: Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction; Mitali Jain, president of 做厙弝けAssociated Students, Inc.; Jill Baker, superintendent of 做厙弝け Unified School District; Rex Richardson, mayor of 做厙弝け; Jane Close Conoley, president of CSULB; and Mike Mu簽oz, superintendent-president of 做厙弝け City College, at the 做厙弝け Housing Promise signing on Nov. 9, 2023.