Prado Road Receivership Helps Unhoused Families in San Luis Obispo
Part of California Receivership Group’s mission is to turn derelict properties into livable spaces and assets for their communities. An excellent example of this work is the Prado Road property in San Luis Obispo.
Prior to CRG’s appointment as receiver for the property, it was being used as an ad-hoc junkyard which also served as an encampment for unhoused people who had taken up residence there. The property was full of debris—from cars and recreational vehicles in various states of repair to bricks, boats, trash, and even parts of an airplane—with narrow paths snaking through the junk for residents to traverse.
“California Receivership Group really took their role seriously on getting the best possible outcome for the property, for everyone involved.” - Suzanne Leedale, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO) Chief Executive Officer
CRG was appointed as receiver for the property on Prado Road in December 2022 and immediately began the immense task of removing all debris from the property. By April 2023, the buildings were sufficiently cleared to board up the windows.
While most receivership cases focus on rebuilding and improving the existing structures on site, the Prado Road case was more about keeping trespassers and squatters clear of the property. In addition to boarding the property, CRG installed security fencing and cameras and coordinated daily patrols to keep the property and individuals safe. The benefit of this added security was evident when a patrol found and removed an individual who had taken up residence in an unused water tank on the property—a confined space which placed the individual in extreme danger of injury or death from lack of ventilation.
Photos of the Nuisance Property Before Receivership
CRG also helped the individuals residing at the property contact the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO), located next door to the receivership property. Suzanne Leedale, Chief Executive Officer of CAPSLO, said that CRG was “extremely responsive” during the cleanup phase of the receivership. “We saw first-hand the need for the receivership for the safety of the community.”
The story of a receivership typically ends when the property has been rehabilitated and returned to the owner or sold, but this one is a bit different. CRG completed the property cleanout and then sold the property to CAPSLO. Net proceeds from the sale went to the previous property owner, and CAPSLO is now working to improve the property to give unhoused families a place to live while keeping them together.
Photos of the Nuisance Property After Receivership
“Right now, unhoused families… with children under the age of 18 are housed in our 40 Prado homeless service center with individuals,” Leedale said, referring to single unhoused people. “They have about 1500 square feet within that facility dedicated to families.” As part of the ongoing project, “We are going to build a dedicated family shelter that is non-congregate. So, they will have kitchens, bathtubs, and a place to call their own with privacy and not having to share bunk beds with other family members.”
“We will have the ability to not only house more [families], but to house them in a safe manner with folks who are more like them. And it will be the only dedicated family shelter within San Luis Obispo County.”
“California Receivership Group really took their role seriously on getting the best possible outcome for the property, for everyone involved,” Leedale said.
