Wooden blocks in the shape of people and a house.
California Emergency Solutions and Housing Grant (CESH) and the State’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funding has been allocated.

$5.5M Allocated to Five Local Homeless Services Projects

Author: Administrative Office
Date: 4/24/2019 9:15 AM

Five local projects will help homeless persons in SLO County find stable permanent housing and access to emergency food, shelter, medical assistance and transportation resources

The County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, April 23, to allocate $5.5 million in State grant funding among five projects that will help homeless persons in San Luis Obispo County find stable permanent housing and access to emergency food, shelter, medical assistance and transportation resources.

The Board approved the recommendations of the Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC), with minor staff amendments, to allocate about $727,000 of the California Emergency Solutions and Housing Grant (CESH) and about $4.8 million of State Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP)  grant funding to the following projects:

  • Five Cities Housing Partnership ($2.6 million to Five Cities Homeless Coalition and Peoples’ Self Help Housing)
  • Transitional Youth Program with Case Management and Housing Assistance ($130,165 to Five Cities Homeless Coalition)
  • North County Coordinated Homeless Services ($1.5 million to the City of Paso Robles)
  • Withdrawal Management Unit ($357,500 to Community Action Partnership of SLO County)
  • Coordinated Entry System expansion ($540,695 to Community Action Partnership of SLO County)

The remaining funds will be set aside for administrative reserves for the County to manage the grant funding. The County received proposals requesting more than $15 million, but there was only about $5.5 million in State grant funding available. An ad hoc committee reviewed the proposals and HSOC made recommendations to the Board based on that committee’s review.

In a presentation at the April 23 board meeting, County staff presented the Board of Supervisors with recommendations from the for spending the available funds.

The HSOC, which is made up of representatives from local government agencies, nonprofits and for-profit service providers, is an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors and works together to ensure that everyone in SLO County has access to appropriate and affordable housing and to services they need to sustain that housing. The council was instrumental in reviewing and considering projects that would ultimately be recommended to the Board of Supervisors.

View the full agenda item packet, including the staff report (agenda item) and attachments with project descriptions and more information about requests and recommendations.