Casa de Esperanza, Fort Worth TX
August 2021 - endhomelessness.org/hotelstohousing
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P O
Casa de Esperanza, Fort Worth, TX’s largest permanent supportive housing development, opened in
December of 2020 with the support of Fort Worth Housing Solutions (FWHS – the City’s public housing
authority, managing a wide variety of housing programs); development partner Ojala Partners, LP
of Dallas; the City of Fort Worth; and a coalition of agencies that care for people who are homeless.
Casa de Esperanza was converted from a Home Towne Suites with 122 units into 119 units of
permanent supportive housing. The three-story, L-shaped building has 49,674 square feet, and had
last been renovated in 2000. The units are approximately 250 square feet, and include full-size beds,
TVs, and wi-fi service; baths; and kitchenettes with microwaves, cookware, a sink and a refrigerator.
The property has several interior and exterior community spaces, as well as surface parking spaces.
Units are available to people who have been homeless for 12 consecutive months or more, are
disabled, and are either 65 years or older or have health conditions making them vulnerable to
COVID-19. Prospective residents are referred from a coordinated entry list managed by the Tarrant
County Homeless Coalition.
Located in the Melody Hills neighborhood on the north side of Fort Worth, the area around Casa
de Esperanza contains a combination of hotels, restaurants and light industrial properties, and the
property is served by a regular bus route.
CASA DE ESPERANZA
Fort Worth Housing Solutions and
Ojala Partners, Fort Worth, TX
WRITTEN BY MARY TINGERTHAL FOR THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS
PHOTO COURTESY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING SOLUTIONS
Casa de Esperanza, Fort Worth TX
August 2021 - endhomelessness.org/hotelstohousing
Page 2 of 3
A R
P
FWHS and the City of Fort Worth began
working together in the summer of 2020 to
identify a potential extended-stay hotel that
could be converted to permanent supportive
housing for individuals who had been
chronically homeless and at risk of contracting
or spreading COVID-19. Ojala Partners assisted
FWHS in sifting through dozens of potential
properties to identify one that would be most
suitable for the target population and could
be successfully converted to housing within
the deadlines for spending of the CARES Act
Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). When they had
identified the property that would become Casa
de Esperanza, FWHS requested $9.3 million in
CRF dollars for the acquisition of the property,
which the Fort Worth City Council approved in
August 2020.
FWHS issued a Request for Proposals to select
a development partner for the project, which
was designated to receive project-based
vouchers for all of the units. Ojala Partners
was selected to work with FWHS to structure
the transaction, acquire and rehabilitate the
property, and prepare it for occupancy as
permanent supportive housing. FWHS worked
with numerous homeless service providers to
identify individuals who were eligible to become
tenants at the property. They also worked with
individuals who had been living at the hotel to
assist them in finding alternative housing. The
property is owned by an aliate entity of FWHS.
The total cost of acquisition and rehabilitation
of the property was approximately $10 million,
($9.3 million for acquisition and $700,000 for
renovations), or approximately $84,000 for
each of the 119 units. The City of Fort Worth
provided most of the financial resources for the
project from funds available through the federal
CARES Act in the form of a forgivable loan.
Scope of Rehabilitation Work
The rehabilitation of the property was
accomplished over a short eight-week period
in October and November 2020. The major
renovations to the property included:
• Creation of community space. Three hotel
units on the main floor were demolished to
make room for a leasing center, case worker
oce space, and an open clubhouse area.
Exterior work created outdoor community
spaces including a pergola lounge area,
outdoor grill, resident garden space and a
pet park.
• Improvements to units. New refrigerators
and microwaves were installed in the
kitchenettes, and new bed sets and TV
systems were provided for all units, along
with necessary clean-up and repairs to the
units.
• General building repairs. The building
interior was re-painted, the elevator was
modernized, security cameras and a gate
were installed, a wi-fi system was upgraded,
and safety hazards were identified and
corrected.
Regulatory maers
At the time that the City Council approved the
CARES Act funds for Casa de Esperanza, it also
approved a zoning change to allow permanent
supportive housing in the area. It used a fast-
track process to allow the approvals to be
finalized in a timely manner so that the funds
could be expended and occupancy begun by
December 30, 2020.
Neighboring property owners welcomed
the conversion of the building to permanent
housing because the property was in need of
maintenance and had not been well-managed
for some time.
The entire process, from acquisition to rehabilitation
to permitting and occupancy, took five months.
Casa de Esperanza, Fort Worth TX
August 2021 - endhomelessness.org/hotelstohousing
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P O S
The property is now being operated by FWHS,
and is listed on its website. Roscoe Property
Management was selected to manage the
property. A property manager is on-site during
the day, and the property has a leasing agent
and maintenance specialist. FWHS also provides
private security overnight, and works closely
with the Fort Worth Police Department to ensure
the safety of the residents and the community.
With project-based vouchers for all of the
units, the property is able to support all of its
operating costs with rental revenue.
FWHS worked with the Tarrant County
Homeless Coalition to identify the initial
residents of Casa de Esperanza. The director
of FWHS estimates that about half of the initial
residents were referred from shelters and the
remainder had been living unsheltered. After
the first six months of operation, all of the initial
residents were still living at the property.
FWHS works with several service providers to
provide case management for all residents at
the property. Service partners include Tarrant
County Homeless Coalition, Presbyterian Night
Shelter, My Health My Resources of Tarrant
County, and JPS Health Network. Case managers
are onsite five days a week during business
hours to assist residents as they stabilize their
households and work toward self-suciency.
K S F
• With a portfolio of more than 7,000 rental
housing units, FWHS has developed a track
record of working with private development
partners to develop a wide range of
aordable and mixed-income housing in Fort
Worth, while also continuing to serve as the
public housing authority for the City. This
experience allowed FWHS to move quickly
when Ojala Partners was selected as its
development partner for Casa de Esperanza.
• As the public housing authority, FWHS
was able to quickly develop the Request
for Proposals process necessary to award
both mainstream and regular project-based
vouchers for all of the units at Casa de
Esperanza.
• Ojala Partners used its real estate market
expertise to lead a search process for the
most suitable property, reviewing more
than 100 potential properties before
recommending the site that would become
Casa de Esperanza.
• Sta from FWHS met with adjoining property
owners to gain their support for the project.
• Multiple service partners teamed up to
quickly identify the people who would
become the residents at Casa de Esperanza,
and to provide the services needed by those
residents.
Contact Information
Fort Worth Housing Solutions (www.fwhs.org)
Mary-Margaret Lemons, mlemons@fwhs.org,
817-333-3401
Ojala Partners (www.ojalaholdings.com)
Matthew Vruggink, mjv@ojalaholdings.com,
214-693-7955
PHOTO COURTESY OF FORT WORTH HOUSING SOLUTIONS
