Jessica Hoff Berzac (center) and Mayor Jerry Dyer (left center) celebrate the grand re-opening of the Crossroads Village with other local officials and community members. Photo by Dylan Gonzales

Community members gathered in the pouring rain Friday morning to celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-opening of Crossroads Village, an apartment complex with 143 units of permanent, affordable housing for residents in Fresno near Dakota and Blackstone avenues. 

Crossroads Village was formerly the Smugglers Inn hotel. In 2021, it transitioned into temporary housing for the homeless.

The complex is referral-based, targeting low-income residents earning 30% below the poverty line, and is specifically geared to assist in transitioning individuals from homelessness.

Individuals and families are approved through the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care.

A public relations representative for Crossroads Village said the first family moved in Thursday. They expect it to fill up quickly as soon as paperwork is processed. The wait list is long.

Despite the official grand opening, Crossroads Village was still in operation as a transitional housing option during renovations. 

“It’s an important day for all of us gathered here, but it’s an especially important day for the individuals and families who will now have the opportunity to call this home,” said Jennifer Seeger, the Deputy Director of Financial Assistance of State Programs for Housing and Community Development.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer noted the importance of having a place like Crossroads Village for the community and cited ongoing housing issues across the country. Dyer thanked Jessica Hoff Berzac, co-founder and principal of property owner UPholdings, an Illinois company that creates, operates and sustains affordable housing across the country with a long-term community commitment.

Sanja Bugay, the director of the Fresno County Department of Social Services, reflected on the journey that led to this moment. From the beginning, the department took a significant risk by entering the housing sector, which was unprecedented at the time.

Fresno County was one of the few counties to submit an early application for Project Homekey, enacted in the pandemic to convert motels and other properties to emergency, temporary housing.

In 2020, Crossroads Village received a $15.3 million California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Project Homekey grant.

Bugay commended the social services team’s dedication to making Crossroads Village fully operational.

Susan Holt, the director of the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, gave her speech in the rain and, acknowledging the unhoused population in Fresno County who are exposed to the elements daily.

“We are celebrating today that our neighbors are coming out of the rain,” Holt said.

She reminded people to think about those less fortunate as they celebrate Valentine’s Day.

“I’m worried about whether I’m going to be able to get my heart-shaped pizza tonight. But today, out there, people that we’re going to house might be wondering, ‘does anybody love me?’” Holt asked. “Are they going to walk down the street, and is someone going to judge them, or is someone going to love them?”

RH Community Builders is one of the development partners in Crossroads Village.

“We can take what was once uncertainty and turn it into stability,” said Katie Wilbur, the executive director at RH Community Builders. “We can take what was once just a vision and turn it into a home.”