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Developer describes motel-to-housing conversions, on-site supports and cost pressures at Wallace Studios
Summary
Developer Adam Rosenberg described his nonprofit–private partnerships that convert motels into supportive housing, the use of on-site clinical staff funded by a private foundation, high security costs and partnerships with service providers to support formerly homeless tenants.
Adam Rosenberg, founder of AGB Real Estate, told the Public Health & Safety Committee about converting underused motels into affordable and supportive housing and the operating challenges that follow occupancy.
Rosenberg said his company converted units at Wallace Studios, Greenview Apartments and other properties and emphasized practical supports: "All units come fully furnished," he said, describing efficient kitchens and provided furniture for tenants without possessions. AGB works with service partners — Neighborhood Health, Mental Health Co-op, OneGen and I Am Next — to provide on-site and external services. Rosenberg described a "three-pillar" approach: housing, on-site clinical support and pathways to purpose such as job training.
Rosenberg said nonprofits that provide case management are "stretched really thin," and delays in responses can allow small problems to escalate. He gave one example of a tenant who had a mental-health episode and "did not get a callback or their caseworker did not contact them for over two weeks," which then required intervention from the Mental Health Co-op. He said that prompted AGB to secure private funding for a full-time clinical director at Wallace Studios, present five days a week, to serve the most acute tenants.
Rosenberg described operational costs that exceed typical residential budgets: AGB provides 24/7 security across shifts and said security costs for Wallace Studios are approaching $250,000 annually. He said occupancy fluctuated — about 75% earlier in the year, back to near 98% at Wallace after recent intake — and that the properties host veterans, youth aging out of foster care and households served through coordinated entry and vouchers.
Council members and vice chair Huffman discussed referrals, vouchers and connections to job-training programs. Rosenberg said the properties accept a mix of vouchers (VASH, youth vouchers, domestic violence and other targeted resources) and receive daily inquiries from providers. He asked Metro partners for help on the "purpose" pillar and partnerships to sustain on-site supports.
