Funding to provide housing for homeless, including veterans and seniors
RIVERSIDE, CA – Riverside County received an award of $23.7 million in funding through the state’s No Place Like Home program. The funds will create 162 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness who are homeless, chronically homeless or at-risk of homelessness. The housing units will be embedded within four affordable apartment communities that will be newly constructed or will undergo rehabilitation. Construction and rehabilitation of units is expected to begin in 2020.
The grant awards were announced by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), which administers the No Place Like Home program. HCD reviewed applications and selected the awardees through a competitive application process.
“We are very pleased with the announcement of this funding and are excited to move forward to provide much-need permanent supportive housing for Riverside County,” said Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of RUHS-BH. “We look forward to these units becoming available starting in 2020.”
The permanent supportive housing will be created through a partnership between the county and four affordable housing developers that will develop, own and operate the apartment communities in which the permanent supportive housing units are located.
The Economic Development Agency/Housing Authority also contributed 162 housing vouchers to help secure the award from the No Place Like Home program.
Using a housing first model of engaging and retaining homeless individuals in housing, the apartment communities will provide access to supportive services that will include behavioral health and substance abuse services from Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health (RUHS-BH). In addition, connections to health care and community-based resources will also be offered. RUHS-BH currently provides supportive services to 105 units of permanent supportive housing in 7 apartment communities across Riverside County.
Three of the developments involve new construction and are located in the City of Riverside. They will be developed by Community Development Partners, A Community of Friends, and Palm Communities.
A fourth development is located in Cathedral City and involves the rehabilitation of an existing senior community. It is being developed by National Community Renaissance.
For more information about the No Place Like Home program, visit rcdmh.org/Administration/NPLH or contact Thomas Peterson at TPeterson@ruhealth.org, (951) 538 – 6791.
