Riverside designated to receive three million to address homelessness

The Office of Homeless Solutions presented an outline for the distribution of $3.2 million at a Housing and Homeless Committee Meeting and now awaits City Council approval at the meeting to be held on January 19

The funds were allocated to the City by the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) when Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the second round of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP-2) funding in June 2020. Among the many recipients of the grant funding includes California’s 13 largest cities, one of which is Riverside.

Hafsa Kaka, the city’s Officer of Homeless Solutions, presented the committee’s application for HCFC grant approval in yesterday’s meeting and it designates five areas the funds should be allocated.

“This grant will fund critical programs and services for individuals experiencing homelessness in the City of Riverside,” Kaka said in an email last night. The grant will “support regional collaborative initiatives with the County to address homelessness in targeted unified response areas, such as the Santa Ana River Bottom.”

During the January 19 City Council meeting, council members will be asked to authorize the submission of the application that includes the recommendations provided by the Housing and Homelessness Committee, which is due to the HCFC by the 23 of this month.