Bay Area receives $14 million from state to combat youth homelessness
The Bay Area is receiving $14.3 million from the state to help homeless families with children and unhoused young adults find lasting homes.
The awards are part of the latest rounds of two statewide grant programs, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week.
“These grants are critical for helping to connect some of the most vulnerable Californians with access to housing,” Newsom said in a statement. “Many of these young adults don’t have the support of friends or family that most of us take for granted.”
The money will help local agencies provide housing and services for young adults under 25, prioritizing those currently or formerly in the foster care or probation systems. It will also help add transitional housing beds, bolster job training programs and offer financial assistance for homeless families with children.
The awards include $5.6 million (two grants) for Santa Clara County, $2.1 million for San Francisco, $1.9 million for Alameda County, $1.8 million for Oakland, $1 million for Sonoma County, $626,040 for Contra Costa County, $280,768 for Livermore, $283,050 for Solano County and $173,160 for San Mateo County.
When applying for the grants, local governments had to demonstrate why they needed state funding to help homeless families and young adults into housing. It was unclear exactly why some jurisdictions received more money than others.
In Santa Clara County, the local county with the largest homeless population, there are roughly 360 homeless families with children and about 760 homeless youth under 25, according to the most recent count last year. More than 80% stay in homeless shelters. Across the Bay Area, an estimated 37,000 people of any age are homeless on a given night.
Santa Clara County officials plan to use the grant money to fund local shelters and financial assistance programs to help homeless families cover rent, security deposits, moving costs, utilities and other expenses. The grant could support up to 500 families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless
“We’re thankful to receive this much-needed infusion of funding into our homelessness prevention efforts in Santa Clara County,” Consuelo Hernandez, director of the county Office of Supportive Housing, said in a statement.
Oakland plans to use its grant in part to add eight beds at the Courage Housing Transitional Home. The home shelters women and children who’ve survived domestic violence, human trafficking or sexual exploitation.
“The program provides residents with a safe space to heal, grow and engage in comprehensive services related to professional development and career placement, economic resources, and preparation for permanent housing placement,” Raven Nash in Oakland’s Community Homelessness Services Division wrote in an email.
Livermore aims to use its award to add three 4-bedroom transitional housing units for homeless families at the Leahy Square affordable complex east of downtown. Families will receive job training and support in finding permanent housing.
“By leveraging this grant, we can provide stable housing and vital support services to some of Livermore’s most vulnerable families,” Paul Spence, Livermore’s assistant city manager, said in a statement.
The awards follow a scathing April audit that found officials had failed to track the effectiveness of the $24 billion the state spent over the past five years to combat homelessness.
Still, state officials said the latest grants will have an impact.
“We know childhood experiences of homelessness can have a devastating impact on educational attainment, economic opportunity, and health throughout adulthood,” Tomiquia Moss, the state’s top homelessness official, said in a statement. “California’s youth deserve every opportunity to succeed.”