Community leaders and partners came together with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the Arrowhead Grove community to celebrate the planned development of a new Community Resource Center (CRC) at the Arrowhead Grove community in San Bernardino. The CRC will be located on Waterman Avenue south of Baseline Street, adjacent to the Arrowhead Grove community. That location is the site of one of the first affordable housing developments to be built in San Bernardino County, a 252-unit Public Housing community built in 1942. Since 2013, HACSB has been working to redevelop the aging community in phases to preserve affordable housing for future generations. Three phases of redeveloped housing have been completed so far.
“At HACSB, we believe that becoming housed is only the first step in the path to an empowered life. Along with our many community partners, we are working to bring not only affordable homes to our community, but to also bring resources and opportunities that individuals and families can leverage to build the lives they envision. We see it as ‘housing AND.’ That is why the development of the Community Resource Center is the next step in our revitalization efforts for Arrowhead Grove.”
The Arrowhead Grove CRC will bring together educational opportunities, mentoring, job and career development services, recreational activities, children’s programming, health and wellness resources, and many other services. Partners in the plans for the CRC include Dignity Health, Making Hope Happen Foundation, Loma Linda University, Common Spirit, Grid Alternatives, and others. The CRC will be open to residents of the Arrowhead Grove community and the public. HACSB expects to break ground on the CRC in the summer of 2024, if funding is available.
On Tuesday, Representative Pete Aguilar announced a Community Project Funding award of $3 million to support the development of the Arrowhead Grove CRC, citing the importance of pairing supportive services with housing. Other speakers at the event included Doug Kleam, Saint Bernardine Medical Center Hospital President; Niki Dettman, Executive Director of the Making Hope Happen Foundation; Alyssa Santa Cruz, community resident; San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran; and San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.