Overview
- Council members Mario Castillo and Julian Ramirez tagged the purchase item, pushing the decision one week and setting a community meeting for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the TBH Center on South Jensen Drive.
- The city seeks to buy 419 Emancipation Ave. for conversion into a 24/7 low‑barrier center with on‑site health care, behavioral health services and security that officials have labeled a “Superhub.”
- Key details remain unsettled, with capacity figures varying from 240 to 380 people, no operator yet selected, and annual operating costs estimated at $10 million to $14 million without a firm funding source.
- City leaders cast the project as central to a three‑year, $168 million homelessness initiative that includes increased patrols, a possible expansion of the civility zone and an HPD Homeless Outreach Team based at the site.
- Neighborhood residents continue to raise transparency, safety and long‑term funding concerns, and the $16 million price follows appraisals of $10 million and $20 million with debt financing planned over 10 years.