PACOIMA : Not a Shelter but a Home for the Homeless

Hillview Village is not a shelter, its developers say. And it’s not a mental institution. It is a complex for homeless, mentally disabled adults.

But the developers simply refer to it as an apartment building, with 50 future tenants who say they prize it almost as much as they value their lives.

For Carlos Contreras, 37, who next week will move into Hillview--the Valley’s first low-rent complex of its kind--the building represents an investment of trust and responsibility that he has never before experienced.

“What this means is, trust in yourself,” Contreras said, looking around the spacious community room on the first level of the sprawling two-story building on Van Nuys Boulevard.

In a courtyard outside, local politicians and leaders were speaking before a small crowd at a ceremony marking the opening of the $5.6-million home, built with a combination of public and private loans.

“The community trusts, too,” Contreras said, finishing his thought. “This is progress.”

It’s the kind of progress the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Los Angeles can build on, say doctors, patients and advocates for the homeless and mentally ill. While shelters are common, there are few places the homeless and mentally disabled can live permanently.

There are still fewer places that allow them to tackle problems at their own pace, with the goal that they need not be so heavily dependent on welfare, doctors and others.

Hillview Village was created by Hillview Mental Health Center Inc. and the Valley Housing Foundation to provide a comfortable living environment combined with easy access to support services.

The rooms range in size from 280 square feet for a single with a large bathroom, to 550 square feet for a one-bedroom unit with its own kitchen. They are carpeted and fully furnished. Rents range between $266 and $351, depending on the income of the tenant.

Crenshaw Scott, 36, a peer counselor at Hillview and a future tenant, said he’s looking forward to moving to the building from his apartment in Sun Valley. “Most people who will be coming here live in some kind of boarding care facility or an independent living arrangement, like me.

“This place is a lot nicer. I’m enthused. It gives us a choice,” he said.

To qualify for residency, tenants must be homeless or formerly homeless, and be diagnosed with a mental disability, said Alicia Donerson, assistant administrator at Hillview Medical Center.

“This is such a positive thing,” said Dino Tripodis, a psychiatrist who works with the homeless mentally ill. “When the homeless get off the streets, they often are shipped around from place to place, and they become dependent. This is one of the first attempts, that I’m aware of, that seeks to globalize the kind of care these people need.”

The apartment building’s new tenants will move in Thursday, not a minute too soon for some. “My clients have been experiencing a bit of anticipatory anxiety,” Tripodis said.