Mission

Named after MHA’s hero and founder, Clifford Beers Housing Inc. (CBH) is an organization that has been created as a Community Housing Development Organization to develop affordable housing for individuals and families with limited incomes, including households that are either homeless or at-risk of homelessness and have a member living with a mental illness.

To date, Clifford Beers Housing has 236 affordable housing units completed or in the pipeline. Clifford Beers first developed Elm Avenue Apartments in Long Beach, CA, a 17-unit development that includes housing for the chronically homeless. It’s second completed project is The Courtyards in Long Beach, a 46-unit scattered site rehabilitation project completed in January 2011. Three additional 130 units are under construction and are scheduled to come online in 2011 and 2012. Clifford Beers has two additional projects in the predevelopment phase totaling 46 units.

As an affiliate of MHA, Clifford Beers seeks to develop affordable housing that targets a percentage of the units for the homeless households, including those living with mental illness. These households receive a high level of supportive services to ensure that they are successful in permanent housing environments. This model for affordable supportive housing focuses on reducing homelessness and increasing community reintegration, assisting those with special needs to assume their full and rightful place in mainstream society.

Clifford Beers has three models of development of affordable housing and affordable supportive housing:

• Lead Developer and General Partner working with MHA as supportive service provider
• Lead Developer and General Partner working with community-based groups as supportive service providers throughout Los Angeles County and beyond
• Joint Venture partnerships with other affordable housing developers and community based groups throughout Los Angeles County and beyond

In April 2005, James Bonar became the Executive Director of Clifford Beers Housing and he has the primary responsibility for developing its affordable housing projects, Mr. Bonar has extensive experience in the field of affordable housing development, including a term as the first Executive Director of the Los Angeles Community Design Center beginning in 1972. In the six years immediately prior to joining Clifford Beers, Mr. Bonar was the Executive Director of the Skid Row Housing Trust. During his years with the Trust, Mr. Bonar expanded the Trust’s portfolio with five additional projects to include a total of 1,150 living units, which provide permanent housing with supportive services to homeless people.