Claremont Residents Try to Nix Escrow for Homeless Housing

Residents upset about a 32-unit supported homeless housing complex in Claremont are demanding the property owner back out of a deal with its developer.

A group of opponents have called on Pilgrim Place, owner of the half-acre site at 731 Harrison Avenue, to kill the sale to Jamboree Housing, based in Irvine, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

In February last year, the city voted to give $1.5 million to the affordable housing developer to build the four-story complex between a park and a Quaker meeting house, near a middle school. But residents oppose the project.

“We would like the board of directors of Pilgrim’s Place to cancel the escrow immediately,” Denise Yung of Safe and Transparent Claremont, told the Tribune in an email. “There is no plan to ensure the safety of our children, seniors and residents of Claremont.”

“There is no plan to service the homeless correctly.”

Residents are adamant they are not against helping homeless residents, but say they’ve been excluded in the decision-making process.

In an email, STC member Daryl McCance said Pilgrim Place, as the property owner, must cancel escrow to “avoid catastrophic damage and salvage their reputation.”

Plans for the project, known as Larkin Place, include 24 one-bedroom apartments and eight studio apartments. The supportive housing will offer its former homeless residents on-site crisis counseling, case management, life skill courses and more.

Larkin Place, Jamboree’s second supported housing community in Claremont, has received full funding. The Claremont City Council has deemed it legally compliant. The project is slated to break ground in February and open in mid-2025.

Pilgrim Place, a 108-year-old home for retired missionaries, clergy and social activists founded by the Congregational Church, is adamant about the pending sale.

Diane Fisher, vice president of advancement for Pilgrim Place, said Pilgrim Place residents and board members supported the sale of the Harrison Avenue property, which aligns with Pilgrim Place’s mission statement of assisting those in need.

— Dana Bartholomew