Affordable senior housing in Placerville tackles community need in El Dorado County

The Abridged version:

• The Gathering Inn, a housing nonprofit, partnered with Anthem Blue Cross to provide housing in Placerville for El Dorado County seniors served by the insurance company.
• Seniors consistently make up 30% of the unhoused population in El Dorado County.
• The property was recently filled this past summer but plans to open spaces as tenants transition into independent living.

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The Gathering Inn, a housing nonprofit based in Northern California, recently filled its latest affordable housing project targeted at seniors experiencing homelessness. The new property in Placerville was acquired through a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and tackles a need in a county where seniors make up roughly 30% of the unhoused population.

“We know that affordable and supportive housing, especially for the older adults amongst us, is lacking in our region and our state,” said Nick Golling, executive vice president of The Gathering Inn. “Properties like this fill that gap by transforming circumstances and dramatically improving well-being for Anthem members in this community.”

Funded through a partnership that made use of incentives from the state Department of Health Care Services, The Gathering Inn’s property in Placerville is near senior services and bus stops. The property has five units that can house about 10 residents at a time.

The requirements for tenant applications included being at-risk for homelessness or currently unhoused, over 55 years old, insured by Anthem Blue Cross and having ties to El Dorado County. Tenants were selected through work with local groups and organizations.

Building senior housing

Being homeless has proven negative health effects, which are amplified for seniors. In UC San Francisco’s report on homelessness in 2023, 53% of unhoused seniors who were surveyed self-reported their health as fair or poor. That’s why Anthem Blue Cross played a role in securing the property.

The Gathering Inn, which has supported vulnerable residents in the region for 22 years, helps to provide enhanced care management, a CalAIM initiative that coordinates clinical and nonclinical services for high-need Medi-Cal members. Golling described it as comprehensive case management.

While unhoused populations in El Dorado County have remained relatively steady through the past three years, seniors consistently make up about 30% of that population. 

“Homelessness amongst older adults has been a concerning and growing trend nationwide over the last several years, and there is not a community I am aware of that has been exempt from that trend,” Golling said. “Placerville has an older median age than other communities in this region, so resources such as this provide a tangible and transformative solution to an identified need.”

With lower salaries, greater health concerns and fewer family members or friends who can support them, seniors often fall through the cracks and are hit hard by homelessness.

‘I didn’t know what to do’

That was true for Marquita Meggs, a tenant at The Gathering Inn who began staying there in June. Meggs was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requiring her to use an oxygen tank, cannula and extendable hose.

Meggs said that last year, her landlord told her he was increasing the rent from $800 to $950. When she first moved in, she only paid $400. “The rent kept going up and up, and I only get paid $1,250 a month. When he told me he was raising the rent, I started crying because I didn’t know what to do.”

Meggs had previously experienced homelessness twice, both times in the winter months after her seasonal job at Ice House Resort ended and she could not find more work. She recognized that her ailing health would have made living in a tent “a death sentence.” Although her daughter and grandson live in the area, she knew they did not have the space to take her in.

Meggs entered the county’s homeless shelter. Like many housing resources, it had a waitlist and has experienced massive funding changes under the federal government. She was there for six months with essentially no possessions, save for the television set she took with her to the shelter. It was there that she was approached by representatives from The Gathering Inn to fill out an application, which was ultimately accepted.

From shelter to safety

“It’s $500 with all utilities included, completely furnished,” Meggs said. “I thank God for The Gathering Inn because I was about to give up. Now, I think the sun is shining on me a little bit more.”

Meggs is happy that she does not have to worry her family now that she is in stable housing. Through staying at The Gathering Inn, she can now get rides to her appointments and regular treatment for her conditions. She praised Anthem for making it possible for her to receive care.

She also says that living there has given her the time to indulge in things like fishing, swimming and hiking — luxuries that she wants to enjoy while she can.

“Outside is my serenity,” she said. “I just want to spend every day out there.”

The Gathering Inn has no maximum allowable length of stay and is intended to help residents gain further independence while providing support for them to be sustainable. 

“For many, this type of housing does lead to other, more independent permanent housing settings,” Golling said.

Tenants at The Gathering Inn have the resources and space to apply to more permanent housing, which can have waitlists nearly impossible to navigate without a place to land. Meggs, who lives with a roommate, is eager to apply and get her own place after years of sharing space with others.

“I want to get the word out about this because someone out there might need this program just like I did,” Meggs said. “I love this area. I don’t want to live anywhere else. This is where I’m supposed to be.”