|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Sunflower Hill continues to make remarkable headway in its mission to provide residential, vocational and experiential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the Tri-Valley and beyond.
Still relatively early on their laudable and daunting journey, the nonprofit’s leaders and volunteers have accomplished so much in recent years, and 2025 has been no different: increased programming at its Irby Ranch community in Pleasanton, growing yields at its garden at Hagemann Ranch, and more movement toward solidifying new housing in Lafayette and Dublin.
A demonstration of what’s possible, but also a reminder of the need and the effort.
“Sunflower Hill has provided many programs free of charge to our community for the last 13 years – but we’re just not able to continue to do that without donor, grant and corporate support,” Susan Houghton, founder and board president, told me Monday. “We hope the community will understand that and join us in our efforts to raise the visibility and needs of individuals with I/DD.”
I had the chance to catch up with Houghton and development director Jennifer Oxe by email in recent days after attending Sunflower Hill’s Mardi Gras Gala at the Shannon Community Center in Dublin last month. My wife and I, representing the Pleasanton Weekly as a media sponsor, were actually assigned to Houghton’s table, but she was so busy with the program there wasn’t much chance for chit chat.
The room was a who’s who of current and former elected officials, business executives and Tri-Valley community leaders, in addition to Sunflower Hill families, volunteers and staff.
Three of whom were honored during the evening, with former Dublin mayor and current BART Director Melissa Hernandez and Sunflower Hill Garden co-founder Lynn Monica receiving the 2025 Rainmaker Awards and Jennifer Crandall, a Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch resident and a “consistent and enthusiastic” participant in its programming, taking home the Spirit Award.
“Sunflower Hill makes me feel happy, safe and welcoming,” Crandall said in the event program. “Sunflower Hill has changed my life because it has allowed me to live by myself and take care of myself. I know that there are people here who will help me if needed, but Sunflower Hill is the first place that has allowed me to live independently.”
NBC Bay Area morning meteorologist Kari Hall delivered a heartwarming and heartwrenching keynote speech about being a mother raising two kids on the autism spectrum with her husband.
And the reveal of a special promotional video to the tune of Josh Groban’s “Granted”, including a personalized message from the singer-songwriter, added a jolt of excitement toward the end of the evening.
“It’s not every day you have someone famous telling you that they love your mission!” Oxe told me. “And I’m not sure any of us will soon forget watching David Haubert and John Marchand do the chicken dance onstage!”
Not only was the event successful from community building and awareness perspectives, it was financially so too – the nonprofit reached its goal of $180,000 net, according to Oxe.
The Sept. 27 gala arrived one day after a major news announcement for Sunflower Hill.
Lafayette city officials confirmed that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Housing and Community Development selected Sunflower Hill’s “949 Moraga” project in downtown Lafayette to receive $19.5 million in Super NOFA funding.
This is a different project than the Lafayette Lane proposal announced several years ago that subsequently fell apart. “Sadly, the market rate developer defaulted on their loan, thus ending the opportunity for Sunflower Hill. Thanks to a strong partnership with the city of Lafayette and our housing partner Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, we were able to push this new vision for 48 apartments forward,” Houghton said.
Although there are many financial, legal and development steps before construction can begin on the proposed affordable housing complex for adults with I/DD, the state award is an important boost for 949 Moraga.
“Lafayette truly is a community of character,” Rosemary Kirbach, Sunflower Hill board member and land committee chair, said in the city press release Sept. 26.
Lafayette intends to donate the surplus city property downtown, currently a parking lot, to the project, and Sunflower Hill and SAHA have an exclusive negotiating rights agreement in place with the city for the land, provided they secure full funding.
“I am thrilled that Sunflower Hill has chosen to build supportive housing in Lafayette and we look forward to working together with them and the other project partners to build much-needed homes for people with developmental disabilities,” City Manager Niroop Srivatsa added.
Houghton was quick to point out that 949 Moraga was one of only two projects in Contra Costa County to be picked in the highly competitive Multifamily Finance Super NOFA funding process. Of the 166 applicants statewide, 30 were awarded funding – including two in Alameda County.
“The need for permanent, affordable, supportive housing is great – and it’s a difficult journey to get projects fully funded. That’s why we are so grateful for this award,” she told me.
Sunflower Hill also has two projects in the works in Dublin.
Grace Pointe, also a partnership with SAHA, aims to build 60 units at Dublin Boulevard and Brannigan Street in a “full supportive living model” similar to the flagship Irby Ranch community Sunflower Hill opened in 2020.
The nonprofits continue to pursue funding opportunities, and their consultants submitted final design paperwork to the city last month ahead of a hearing before the Dublin Planning Commission expected by the end of the year, Houghton said.
Offering insight into the cumbersome yet vital funding process for Grace Pointe, she explained, “We already have $5 million in capital funding lined up (from the city of Dublin) and if Congress approves the federal budget, we expect to add $2 million from Congressman Eric Swalwell to our funding stack.
“We’re also hopeful (very hopeful, actually) that we can get some Alameda County Measure W funds. We think the I/DD population and the Tri-Valley is often forgotten in the greater county housing discussion and we’ve already asked to be included in some of the Measure W criteria. Supervisors Haubert and Miley have been very supportive.”
The Francis Ranch project on the east side of Dublin at Central Parkway and Croak Road is an endeavor with Eden Housing, which has agreed to set aside 20 of its affordable units for people with I/DD – but the site won’t be Sunflower Hill-branded.
“And so hopefully that means we might be constructing two new communities at the same time in the next few years,” Houghton said. “But the need is great. As we said in the Josh Groban video – there are 26,000 individuals with I/DD in the greater East Bay and 80% still live with their family members or parents.”
“Pleasanton was the first city to step up and indicate that a special needs community was desirable and we will always be grateful for that,” she added, looking back at the creation of Sunflower Hill’s lone housing community open to date. “We only have 30 units, but it’s become a model not only for our region but for the entire country. We get calls weekly from parents interested in an apartment – and sadly, there are 169 individuals already on the waiting list.”
As the new year beckons, Houghton said top priorities include locking up more project funding, growing programming at Irby Ranch and the garden, and recruiting for a new executive director (a position that has been vacant for more than a year and a half).
“I’ve temporarily taken over the role of helping to manage our staff – but to be honest with you, they are all truly hard-working leaders who don’t need much management. They present very creative ideas, a passion for Sunflower Hill and want only the best for our residents and program participants,” she explained.
“When you look at the new programs at Irby Ranch like Friday Night Live or Learning with Olivia, Cooking with Crystal or Art with Adama, it’s all them – each day and every day,” Houghton added. “Our garden is going through an organic rebirth too – as we’re planning a lot of cover crops over the winter to enrich our soil. The vision our gardener Victoria has is inspiring. And we simply could not function without the administrative, marketing and development support of Jen, Mila, Alison and Annie.”
Houghton continued: “We’re excited for 2026 – but also grateful for the strong community support we’ve received in 2025.
“It sounds cliche to say ‘it takes a village’ — so we’ll suggest that ‘it takes a lot of ‘sunflowers’’ – essentially all of us in the greater community, standing strong, facing the sun and working together to help our I/DD community grow and move forward.”
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
Livermore Airport landings paused during bomb squad response across streetFebruary 26, 2026 10:09 pm
