STOCKTON, Calif. — For 20-year-old Celia Rivero, of Stockton, her nearly eight-month-old baby Adrian has become her pride and inspiration.
"My son is my world you know. He keeps me going through my tough times," said Rivero.
She says her tough times have included being in and out of foster care in Stockton since she was 19 months old.
"When I was a teenager, I used to run away. I got locked up for something that I should have never did. You know what I mean?" said Rivero.
But now, with the turn of shovels at Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony, it may also mean a turning point for youth like Rivero.
It comes in the form of a motel at March Lane and Interstate 5 becoming a 69-unit permanent supportive housing complex for homeless and foster care youth.
It will provide wraparound services, life skills training, education, employments services and more. It will also have eleven ADA-compliant ground floor units, as well as on-site offices for service providers, laundry facilities and around-the-clock security.
"We know what economic mobility means in America and that's education. So, with a stable platform of housing, I think the kids, young people that wind up living here, will have a real opportunity to not need a social safety net for the rest of their lives," said Peter Ragsdale, executive director of the Housing Authority County of San Joaquin.
The location for this project is no accident. It's close to restaurants, a pharmacy and San Joaquin Delta College.
"This provides that housing, that stability, that safe place for people that may have had it before. It's that kind of stability and safety that allows people to improve their lives and break those kinds of cycles," said Jon Mendelson, executive director for Central Valley Low Income Housing Corporation.
The $30.3 million in funding for the "Calaveras Quarters' project is funded by the state and City of Stockton.
It may fit perfectly with Celia Rivero's needs. She has a warehouse job and a high school diploma with a goal of one day becoming a labor and delivery nurse.
Now, all she needs is stability for herself and her baby.
"He's the reason why I got a job. He's the reason why I'm looking for a place," said Rivero about her son.
The project actually broke ground in April. It's expected to be completed by late December of 2023.
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