HEAP
San Joaquin Continuum of Care Commits Homeless Emergency Aid Program Funds Over $7 Million in funds given to homeless housing and services projects throughout San Joaquin County
(Stockton, CA) – The San Joaquin Continuum of Care (SJCoC), a group of stakeholders charged with addressing homelessness in San Joaquin County, today announced their commitment to providing over $7 million in additional funding for five programs to aid homeless individuals and families throughout San Joaquin County. In the first year, Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funds will serve approximately 1000 people in San Joaquin County and will be used to develop a broad range of programs including “tiny homes” in Lodi, expanded emergency shelter for single men, a rental assistance program for homeless youth, and new units of permanent supportive housing in Stockton.
The SJCoC received 12 applications totaling nearly $17 million in requests for funds. Five projects were chosen for funding based on criteria developed by dozens of stakeholders from throughout the San Joaquin County region and representing non-profit organizations, law enforcement, government, elected officials, the business community and concerned citizens. Projects were scored and ranked by a committee of the SJCoC in part based on the ability to create new or expanded housing options for the homeless, adherence to the Housing First model, and future sustainability beyond the need for the one-time funds available through HEAP. The five projects selected for funding are:
- Delta Community Development Corporation (DCDC): $3,250,000
A partnership between the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin, Central Valley Low Income Housing Corporation, S.T.A.N.D, and Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, this project will develop new units of permanent supportive housing in Stockton for singles and families coming directly from a homeless shelter. - City of Lodi: $1,250,000
Working with the Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin and Lodi community leaders, the City of Lodi applied for and received funds to develop a “tiny homes” project in East Lodi. This project will represent a significant expansion of affordable housing in Lodi. - Lutheran Social Services: $700,000
Focused exclusively on transition-aged youth, Lutheran Social Services will use HEAP funds to expand their SJCoC-funded rental assistance and supportive services program, Project Hope. The proposal provides housing to an additional 12 clients who would otherwise be homeless. - Ready to Work: $448,945.65
Housed in their facilities at the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, Ready to Work’s Homeless Employment And Rehousing Through Teamwork (HEARTT) program will provide shelter, support, and links to permanent housing to homeless adult men in San Joaquin County. Ready to Work will provide up to 21 beds of emergency shelter using HEAP funds. - Community Medical Centers: $1,142,000
CMC’s Respite Center will create a new facility in Stockton providing low-barrier emergency shelter to individuals with substance use disorders for up to two weeks at a time. In addition to short-term shelter, the center will provide supportive services, counseling and case management.
HEAP was established to provide one-time funds to address homelessness challenges in communities statewide. The SJCoC was allocated $7.1 million based in part on the 567 unsheltered homeless people identified in the County during the 2017 Point in Time Count. Since the announcement of HEAP, the San Joaquin County Program Administrator for Homeless Initiatives has collaborated with representatives from the SJCoC, non-profit organizations, elected officials and staff throughout the region to develop a collaborative local process for distributing HEAP funds and to advise City Councils and the County Board of Supervisors on declaring a “shelter crisis emergency” in their jurisdictions, a requirement to obtain HEAP funds.
San Joaquin County Program Administrator Adam Cheshire noted, “this experience has demonstrated how well San Joaquin County and our community partners collaborate on solutions to complex issues like homelessness. It will be exciting and encouraging in the next few years to see the impact these funds will have on getting folks off the streets and into permanent housing.”
The San Joaquin Continuum of Care provides leadership and effective stewardship of resources, as well as facilitates community planning, design and implementation of programs critical to ending homelessness in San Joaquin County. Each year the SJCoC gives approximately $4 million in funds to support over 1,300 beds for permanent supportive housing and other programs benefitting residents of San Joaquin County who would otherwise be homeless.
For more information about the Homeless Emergency Aid Program please click here