Zareh Marselian

 

Zareh Marselian
Zareh Marselian
Board Member

Zareh is currently the Director of IT, Chief Information Officer at Cal Lutheran University. He received his BA Economics at UC San Diego, BS in Computer Information Systems at Coleman University and an MBA at Cal Lutheran University. Zareh brings a world of business and information technology (IT) experience to Many Mansions. Zareh will play a leading role as our organization transitions its technology to meet the needs of the changing world.  His commitment to this cause will have a direct and lasting impact on our residents’ lives.

 

 

Latest Many Mansions vision is focused on unhoused seniors

A PLACE TO STAY—If approved for state funding, Rancho Sierra Apartments would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

A PLACE TO STAY—If approved for state funding, Rancho Sierra Apartments would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

After suffering multiple setbacks in recent years to provide more below-market-rate housing in Thousand Oaks, nonprofit builder Many Mansions is looking west. If approved for state funding, the proposed Rancho Sierra Apartments in unincorporated Ventura County south of Camarillo would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors 62 and older who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.The apartments would be available to people throughout the county.

Derrick Wada, associate director of real estate development for Many Mansions, one of the groups heading the project, said it was conceptually approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in June and is in the land entitlement process.

It is expected to return to the board in December for final approval.

Susan White Wood, housing manager for Ventura County Behavioral Health, said housing projects that target populations susceptible to homelessness are especially important now, when the county’s housing vacancy rate is less than 3.5%.

At least 1,740 people are living without a home in Ventura County, according to the county’s latest count, though officials suspect the actual number is much higher.

In addition to the lack of available housing, White Wood said, the rent in Ventura County, which averages $2,037 per month, is more than most people can afford.

The 2-acre project site is a parcel of land just outside Camarillo city limits which neighbors Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families, Rain Communities homeless shelter and Casa de Esperanza counseling center, organizations with initiatives similar to those of the proposed project.

“We feel that this project fits well within that community and provides a greater adhesive to bring all those different organizations together,” White Wood said.

According to project leaders, residents of the proposed development would have access to support services from the county’s behavioral health department, including health screenings, transportation assistance, peer counseling and community-building events.

At the project’s helm are the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura and Many Mansions.

Organizers expect nearly half the units—24—to be paid for with funding from No Place Like Home, a statewide voter-approved initiative meant to put $2 billion in bond proceeds toward supportive housing for the unhoused in need of mental health services.

Other funds will come from conventional construction and permanent loans and additional state funding sources, said Juliana Gallardo, a property manager for Many Mansions.

Project leaders expect to bring the No Place Like Home funding application before the Board of Supervisors in December.

If the application is approved and the project is awarded the expected funds, it could break ground in March 2022 and complete construction by July 2023, according to the project timeline.

Many Mansions will be responsible for property management.

Questions/comments can be emailed to ranchosierraapartments@manymansions.org.

Article originally appeared in the Thousand Oaks Acorn  by Brooke Stanley

Affordable Housing Planned for Site South of Camarillo

Rancho Sierra Apartments would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

MANY MANSIONS PROJECT—If approved for state funding, Rancho Sierra Apartments would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

At least 1,740 people are living without a home in Ventura County, according to the county’s latest count, though officials suspect the actual number is much higher.

A new affordable-housing development proposed for a 2-acre site just outside of Camarillo city limits could help ease those numbers and provide low-cost options for people at risk of becoming homeless due to the area’s high cost of living in a down economy.

If approved for state funding, Rancho Sierra Apartments would provide 49 units of housing and behavioral health services for extremely low-income seniors 62 and older who have a mental health diagnosis, are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

Derrick Wada, associate director of real estate development for Many Mansions, one of the groups heading the project, said it was conceptually approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in June and is in the land entitlement process. It is expected to return to the board in December for final approval.

Susan White Wood, housing manager for Ventura County Behavioral Health, said housing projects that target populations susceptible to homelessness are especially important now, when the county’s housing vacancy rate is less than 3.5%.

“As you can imagine, mental illness makes finding and keeping a home in this environment extremely challenging,” White Wood said.

In addition to the lack of available housing, she said, the rent in Ventura County, which averages $2,037 per month, is unaffordable for many.

The project site is a parcel of unincorporated Ventura County land just outside Camarillo city limits which neighbors Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families, RAIN Communities homeless shelter and Casa de Esperanza counseling center, organizations with initiatives similar to those of the proposed project.

“We feel that this project fits well within that community and provides a greater adhesive to bring all those different organizations together,” White Wood said.

According to project leaders, residents of the proposed development would have access to support services from the county’s behavioral health department, including health screenings, transportation assistance, peer counseling and community building events.

At the project’s helm are the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura and Many Mansions, a Thousand Oaks based nonprofit corporation that provides affordable housing throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

According to plans, the complex off S. Lewis Road would include 49 one-bedroom units and one two-bedroom manager’s unit.

Organizers expect nearly half the units—24—to be paid for with funding from No Place Like Home, a statewide voter-approved initiative meant to put $2 billion in bond proceeds toward supportive housing for the unhoused in need of mental health services.

Other funds will come from conventional construction and permanent loans and additional state funding sources, said Juliana Gallardo, a property manager for Many Mansions.

Project leaders expect to bring the No Place Like Home funding application before the Board of Supervisors in December.

If the application is approved and the project is awarded the expected funds, the project could break ground in March 2022 and complete construction by July 2023, according to the project timeline.

Many Mansions, which owns or manages over 600 apartments at 20 properties across the county, will be responsible for property management. The nonprofit runs four apartment complexes geared toward mental health services in partnership with county behavioral health, according to project leaders.

Questions or comments can be emailed to ranchosierraapartments@manymansions.org.

 

Article originally appeared in the Camarillo Acorn by Brooke Stanley

Many Mansions: A Commitment to Racial Justice and Equity

Many Mansions: A Commitment to Racial Justice and Equity

 
Many Mansions was founded 40 years ago on a set of core values—values which continue to guide our decisions and actions today. These values include respect, integrity, compassion, and a commitment to racial and equitable justice.

We envision a world where everyone can reach their potential through stable and enriching affordable housing. This is why we have dedicated ourselves to creating communities where our residents can live and thrive, regardless of their circumstances.

We recognize that this country still has long way to go. We acknowledge that racism and discrimination are very real and remain a barrier for many in our community, especially those who are people of color.

Peaceful protests throughout our country, including those here in Ventura County, testify to a collective desire to change this status quo–to broaden and promote opportunity and equity for all segments of our society, especially those who have been and are victims of institutionalized and historic racism.

We stand with those who desire this change. We are resolved to work even harder to develop affordable communities—communities which are open, which are just, and which are free of violence; communities which give hope, which give opportunity, and which give dignity. We are resolved to work even harder to advocate for these changes—to push governments and institutions to take all necessary and appropriate action to dismantle and remove these barriers and injustices.

We will listen and we will learn. We will not be silent.

– Rick Schroeder, President of Many Mansions

“Please Don’t Forget Us”

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Written by Rick Schroeder

I had just come back from vacation.  Having been out of the office for more than a week, I faced hundreds of emails, scores of voice mail messages, a stack of mail a foot deep, and a number of co-workers impatiently waiting at my door.

As the busy morning progressed, I finally checked the voice mail messages.  Larry had left messages nearly every day. His last message–

Rick, this is Larry. I stopped by the office.  The receptionist lady told me you were gone. I left you a note. Don’t tell me to give up Davidson.  He saved me, Rick.  I can’t just give him up! I won’t do that to him.  Talk to you later. Larry.”

Larry calls me at least once a week.  Larry is homeless.

I was annoyed. For the past three years, I have been trying to help Larry. I have urged patience, but Larry cannot seem to understand that there is a very long waiting list for affordable housing, especially supportive housing, and that very few units become available.  He further refuses to stay at an emergency shelter since that would mean separating from up his dog, Davidson.

I fished through the stack of letters, agreements, and other mail and found Larry’s note.

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I stared at the note.  I put it aside and went back to work.

But throughout the morning I kept coming back to his note, especially its last line: “Please DON’T forget US!”

Had I forgotten him?  Would I forget him and all the men, women, and children who were homeless like him?  How could I?  Over the past decade, homelessness has grown and has become very visible.  There are close to 2,000 persons homeless in Ventura County and close to 60,000 in Los Angeles County.

And yet his concern was valid: we want to forget Larry and those like him.  Staring at the pain, the suffering, and the accumulated loss of our fellow human beings, with the realization that we as a society have failed them at a time they were most in need makes us want to sweep away our guilt and shame and think of other things.  Is not homelessness so large, so entrenched, and so overwhelming that there is very little we can do?  Will the poor not always be with us?

Larry’s concern was valid, but we can change this. Yes, ‘the poor will always be with us,’ but this does not mean that the poor have to be without a home.  Homelessness is a man-made problem, and it has man-made solutions.  The solutions are difficult and expensive and will take a long time, but, ultimately, we can end homelessness.  We must try.

Larry, I promise you that you will not be forgotten!  Many Mansions, its Board of Directors, its staff, and its many supporters are dedicated to helping you and those like you find a home.

That morning, I put Larry’s letter on my bulletin board.  I look at it every day.