San Joaquin County allocates nearly $30 million to combat homelessness

By MARIJKE ROWLAND

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STOCKTON – California continues to grapple with the homelessness crisis and has provided San Joaquin County with nearly $30 million in state funding to provide housing for the valley's needy residents.

Late last month, the county received $15 million from the California Department of Health Care Services' Behavioral Health Bridge Housing grant program.

The money comes shortly after the same program awarded $14.3 million to the county's Behavioral Health Services for transitional housing last year.

The Bridge Housing program, which took effect in 2022, provides nearly $1 billion in federal funding to mental health hospitals and tribal entities to operate housing for people experiencing homelessness and severe mental health issues.

“We couldn’t be prouder of (Behavioral Health Services’) ongoing efforts to find funding opportunities that creatively address this widespread situation,” said Miguel Villapudua, chairman of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. In San Joaquin County/

The new $15 million grant will add approximately 67 beds to serve people with mental illness, who may also have substance use disorders, and who are at risk of or already homeless.

The district has not yet acquired any land for the housing project and is still looking for additional funds to complete the work.

The plan calls for renovating an existing building, according to Genevieve Valentine, director of the county's Behavioral Health Services. The county does not yet have a projected date for completion of the project, but the Bridge Housing grant must be used by 2027.

The county, in partnership with the Central Valley Low Income Housing Corporation and the county's Whole Person Care team, will use the remainder of the grant funds to expand its services to an additional 300 people per year.

The county has already begun disbursing the $14.3 million bridge housing grant awarded last year.

The funds went towards the purchase and renovation of the Satellite Apartments, a 30-unit complex.

The project, a partnership between the county's housing authority and behavioral health agencies, will provide permanent assisted living for people who have been ordered to receive treatment through the county's upcoming CARE Courts program. The renovations will add another 24 housing units to the site and are expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

San Joaquin County, like much of the rest of the state, will open its new mental health justice department in December to help end homelessness.

The remainder of the $14.3 million Bridge Housing grant will be used for homeless support and inclusion, rental assistance, housing, and assistance with transportation/laundry and other essential needs.

The county's Behavioral Health and Housing Authority have collaborated on projects to reduce homelessness in recent years, including the 49-unit Victory Gardens facility for homeless veterans, the 37-unit Sonora Square facility for homeless people with mental health issues and the upcoming 50-bed Park Center Apartments, which began construction earlier this year.

Marijke Rowland is the senior health equity reporter at the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom that publishes The Merced Focus in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF).