SACRAMENTO >> For over a year, Senator Mike McGuire has been working with state agency leaders, local non-profits and city and county officials to ensure the North Coast began to receive funding for emergency homeless shelters and housing-first projects to address homelessness in Northern California. California Housing and Community Development recently announced grant awards for counties across the state via the Emergency Solutions Grant program, which supports rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, and other services.
“Due to an amazing amount of teamwork, the North Coast will benefit from these desperately needed homeless services funds. No Emergency Solutions Grant dollars had been invested in Mendocino, Lake or Humboldt Counties for a few years, and it took non-profit leaders and local officials working together to get the job done,” McGuire said. “We are thrilled that North Coast communities who have such significant need will now see state dollars invested in homeless services and we have been grateful to partner with so many over the past several months.”
Projects throughout Northern California will receive Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program funds. A rapid rehousing initiative managed by North Coast Opportunities will be funded in Lake County and three projects in Mendocino County are receiving state funds.
NCO’s Lake County project received $201,894 in state funding.
This spring, Senator McGuire held a Homeless Services Summit bringing civic and non-profit leaders together to discuss strategies to address the lack of funding available for homeless services and programs. From that summit, valuable feedback helped shape state policy this year and since then, a lot has been accomplished. The Governor signed the State Senate’s $2 billion Homeless Services initiative (the No Place Like Home bill) which McGuire helped lead. The initiative will build a minimum of 14,000 units across the state.
In addition, McGuire fought hard along with North Coast leaders to ensure the state Emergency Solutions Grant program would benefit rural California. The 2016-17 budget has $35 million available to support rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, and other services to address homelessness throughout the state through the ESG program.
Between the Emergency Solutions Grant awards and the $2 billion No Place Like Home initiative funding which will begin to roll out in 2017, McGuire believes it is a top priority to get all stakeholders together in the same room (or watching online) for an informative and accessible Town Hall later this month. At the Town Hall, representatives from the state, federal agencies and advocates and non-profits who have found successful projects and funding sources will present their ideas, findings and opportunities to address homelessness.
“Homelessness, especially the lack of resources for permanent housing, is at a crisis point across California — and our North Coast communities have been struggling to meet the need with limited resources and support,” McGuire said. “While there is still an incredible amount of work to be done, we have made great strides this year by securing these critical grant dollars, as well as the $2 billion statewide that will be invested in permanent homeless housing, meaning tens of millions of dollars will flow into Northern California alone.”
