ORANGE, Calif. (June 25, 2025) — The Eli Home for Abused Children broke ground on Eli Commons, a new permanent supportive housing development in Anaheim. The three-story, 11-unit complex will serve children and mothers experiencing homelessness, offering these families a place to find stability and support. While the project will draw on other funding, CalOptima Health is providing a foundational $5 million grant to support housing for this vulnerable population of Medi-Cal members.
With a planned completion date by the end of 2026, Eli Commons will feature on-site support services, such as counseling, case management and job assistance. The residences will showcase environmentally sustainable furnishings, finishes and building materials; décor that exudes peace and tranquility; and a serene outdoor environment with safe play space for children.
“Eli Commons is a dream come true as we move from providing temporary shelter to offering permanent supportive housing,” said Tami Bradford, Executive Director of the Eli Home. “Our organization has a saying that our journey serving abused children has never been easy, but it is joyful. This groundbreaking is certainly something joyful because of the hope it will offer children and families for years to come.”
“CalOptima Health’s grant of $5 million toward Eli Commons reflects our ongoing commitment to secure housing as one of the core foundations of health,” said Michael Hunn, Chief Executive Officer of CalOptima Health. “These new housing units will improve the lives of our youngest Medi-Cal members who have already faced the pain of child abuse. We look forward to supporting them and their mothers as they find renewal and a path toward health.”
CalOptima Health’s grant is tied to participation in the Department of Health Care Services’ Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP), which allows the health plan to fund affordable and permanent supportive housing. HHIP aims to prevent and address housing insecurity for Medi-Cal members by ensuring those experiencing homelessness have a clear path into housing and can access the services needed to remain housed. Since 2023, CalOptima Health has provided more than $93 million in HHIP funding to capital housing projects that, when complete, will add 1,215 units across Orange County.