About

The mission of CCH is to build and manage quality, affordable housing in caring communities. This has been a founding principle of CCH for more than 60 years and continues to guide the direction and growth of our organization today and into the future.

In 1961, 12 visionaries from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) recognized the need to establish a more secure retirement lifestyle for older adults. They envisioned a clean housing community where seniors on a limited income could live and prosper in the comfort of a home they could afford. Fueled by determination, the group set out to find land and secure funding to make their vision a reality. They acquired a $60,000 loan from the National Benevolent Association in St. Louis, Missouri, to develop their first housing community – Garfield Park in Santa Cruz, California.

From these humble beginnings, CCH was born and incorporated in 1961 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the leadership of the first board chair, Rev. Hoffman Hurley. Soon after its founding, President Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1963. Widely known as the “Social Justice” president, he rolled out and expanded several major programs including HUD and Medicare. By partnering with the Federal Government, CCH was able to carry out many of its own socially-driven service programs. Garfield Park became one of the first developments on the west coast to benefit from HUD funds and programming.

In the 1980s as CCH broached 20 years of success in the senior housing arena, leadership began to notice a phenomenon they dubbed, “Aging in Place.” Residents who had moved into HUD properties 20 years earlier in their mid-60s, were now 85 to 95 years old. Many of these elder residents could not effectively be supported with purely independent living. CCH leaders began engaging in many public meetings, workshops and government hearings advocating for funds to underwrite on-site “Service Coordinator” positions to assist residents to age in place with dignity. This notion, first championed by CCH, is now a standard at HUD properties in all 50 states.

Through the vision of our founders, CCH continues to leverage public and private resources for the development of quality, affordable housing in caring communities. For CCH, “community” depends as much on the sound physical infrastructure of our buildings as the human environment that prevails within. Our work enables low-income residents to improve the quality and circumstances of their lives and to thrive in the best possible living conditions. The principles of our early visionaries still inspire CCH’s purpose today by fostering human dignity, mutual respect, personal independence and supportive environments for the well-being of those we serve.