Charity’s homeless housing project in Santa Rosa had problems

The path that St. Vincent de Paul took in developing The Commons was not always smooth.

Tucked inconspicuously among commercial centers on one of the city’s main arteries, the project has a long and, in some chapters, checkered history.

For years, the Gold Coin Motel had a reputation for drug trafficking, prostitution and unsafe conditions.

When St. Vincent acquired the property by November 2019, city officials had “red-tagged” it, declaring most units uninhabitable due to faulty electrical wiring, a lack of heating and unsanitary conditions.

Yet it remained a home for some. When the charity took over, executive director Jack Tibbetts tried to stop evictions of some people still living in the motel while renovation work was underway to make parts of the buildings habitable.

In a recent interview, Tibbetts said St. Vincent de Paul spent several hundred thousand dollars on those renovations and paid $837,000 to temporarily relocate about 10 households while work was done.

The pandemic delayed plans for a more complete renovation, meaning major construction work did not begin until December 2022.

As the delays continued, tensions increased between St. Vincent de Paul and the residents who had remained at the Gold Mint.

In January 2022, The Press Democrat published an investigation to the conditions in the accommodation. Residents accused the charity of neglecting maintenance and safety in the intervening years, leading to disrepair and quality of life problems.

Tibbetts, who continues to reject the newspaper’s findings, hit back at the criticism and said the charity had made significant efforts to improve conditions at the property even as long-term plans hit problems. In some cases, the people living in the rooms had not let his staff in to make repairs, Tibbetts said.

In the wake of the newspaper coverage, Santa Rosa inspectors documented 39 code violations at the property — a handful of which were the fault of the residents.

Some of those former motel residents have remained with the charity — which Tibbetts said has forgiven significant amounts of unpaid rent — and are still in the Commons. But in two cases, including a family that figured prominently in The Press Democrat’s investigation, St. Vincent carried out an eviction over unpaid rent, according to Tibbetts.

In one case, he said, the tenant owed $18,176. In the other case, they owed $14,768 – both amounts were forgiven, but the tenants lost their homes.

A third holdover, Kimberly Hughes, 41, is embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Commons management, who say she has consistently fallen behind on her rent and failed to meet various payment plans. The charity has forgiven more than $6,000 of her unpaid rent, housing director Uriel Brena said, and is charging her $50 a month to clear some of her debt.

Hughes — who calls The Commons a disaster because it lacks services and has a population of unauthorized residents — said she is being charged rent she paid and is being forced to fork out all but $54 of her monthly income to pay rent.

“How am I supposed to meet basic needs,” she said. “How is that ethical?

Tibbetts said, “At some point enough is enough, and we have to acknowledge the thousand-plus people in line behind her… who regularly call us to come in, need to be given a chance at a permanent home. We must ensure that rooms are available for people who contribute in good faith.”

You can reach staff writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or [email protected]. Follow him on X (Twitter) @AndrewGraham88 Follow him on X (Twitter) @AndrewGraham88. You can reach staff writer Jeremy Hay at 707-387-2960 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @jeremyhay