LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a proposed lease agreement between the county and a local property owner for rental facilities that the Mental Health Department will use for its transitional housing program.
Mental Health moved the transitional housing facility from its previous location in October and will relocate to the newly leased location on Golf Avenue in Clearlake beginning Dec. 1, according to Mental Health Director Kristy Kelly.
The leased property, owned by Gary Briggs, consists of one house and four studio apartments.
The studios will provide “good stable” temporary housing for individuals dealing with mental issues who face potential homelessness, hospitalization or incarceration, Kelly said.
Guests of the housing facility would be expected to stay no longer than a month, during which time Mental Health staff would provide support and help the individuals find permanent housing, Kelly said.
The rented house will be used “a gathering kind of a place” for guests to socialize with each other and meet with staff, Kelly said.
The department provided transitional housing, along with a drop-in center, at a previous location in Clearlake, Kelly said. The lease at that location expired this year, compelling department staff to seek out other locations, Kelly told the BOS.
The Bridge Drop-In Center, which provides peer and staff support services, opened in October at its new location on Burns Valley Road in Clearlake.
Kelly said the Golf Avenue property provided the ideal amount of space for the transitional facility and is located near bus routes and other services.
There are five studio units on Briggs”s property, one of which is currently occupied, and Kelly said the county would not do anything to compel the unit to be vacated. The county has agreed to rent that unit if it becomes vacant.
The county will pay $2,725 per month and a $5,400 security deposit to Gary Briggs Rentals as part of the one-year lease agreement, which runs from Dec. 1 through Nov. 30, 2011.
The Mental Health Services Act provides the county with funding for the transitional housing facility, as well as the drop-in center, Kelly said.
The BOS approved the lease agreement, including an addendum that would allow the county to lease the currently occupied unit if vacated, by a 3-0 vote.
District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith recused himself from the discussion because of an established personal relationship with the property owner, and District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown was absent during the vote.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
