KOREATOWN : Builders of Housing for Disabled Awarded

A group of nonprofit developers that has provided permanent shelter for the mentally disabled over the last six years has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Great Western Bank.

The grant was presented to Koreatown-based developers A Community of Friends, which is one of four organizations nationwide to receive the annual Great Western Housing Award. The award has been presented since 1987 for excellence in the development of low-income housing.

“I was bowled over when I heard we won,” said Robert Sanborn, the group’s executive director, who applied for the award six months ago. “I mean, there are so many nonprofit developers out there. It was such a breath of fresh air to be recognized in this way.”

A Community of Friends, which receives public and private funds, is unique because it targets homeless people who are mentally disabled and provides them with facilities in which they can live independently.

The six facilities they have opened provide tenants with private apartments, community kitchens and resident managers who provide assistance and serve as liaisons with social service agencies.

Instead of erecting apartments, A Community of Friends works with the city to acquire run-down buildings, then refurbishes the structures for occupation. Most of the tenants are referred by social service agencies for the homeless.

The group’s most recent project was the Parker Hotel in Westlake, a former slum hotel that reopened in September with 32 restored units, six of which are reserved for tenants with HIV or AIDS. About 20 units are occupied.

Tenants, a majority of whom are on general relief, need not pay more than 30% of their income in rent, Sanborn said. The remainder is federally subsidized.

The $50,000 grant will help the group staff two new projects under construction, one in Boyle Heights and another in East Hollywood, which should open in the fall. The funds will also help the group develop plans for projects in Los Angeles and San Diego.

The criteria for selecting this year’s grant winners included actual production of units and probable success of projects under way, the organization’s financial stability, and its location and community involvement relative to the needs of the community, said Melkon Khosrovian, a spokesman for Great Western Bank.