Board approves $7.6M in federal funds to develop 8 new emergency shelter projects in Riverside County
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved $7.6 million in federal funding to support emergency shelter projects in Riverside County.
The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
County officials said the funds will support the development of eight new housing projects located across all five supervisorial districts. Two of those projects are located in Indio and Palm Springs.
$1 million will go toward the Palm Springs Navigation Center, which will help add 50 beds. Another million dollars will go to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio, which will create 42 beds.
Check Out: News Channel 3 takes an in-depth look at the homeless navigation center in Palm Springs
The county’s Homeless Action Plan, a five-year timeline that identifies areas to address homelessness, set a goal to increase the number of shelter beds across the region by 25 percent.
Officials said that with the development of these projects alone, the county will supersede this goal by creating a total of 241 new emergency shelter beds, a 28 percent increase in emergency shelter beds in Riverside County.
“We need to create as many opportunities as possible to address the needs of families who are experiencing homelessness in our county,” says Second District Supervisor Karen Spiegel, and member of the Homeless Continuum of Care Board of Governance. “This investment is building our system’s capacity so individuals in crisis are not turned away because of space shortages.”
Emergency shelter beds provide a critical transition from street homelessness into housing. It is also a preventive tool to avoid street homelessness for individuals experiencing homelessness for the first time.
During their stay, individuals are provided with essential items and services, including case management and assistance with resolving their homelessness.
“Housing is a critical tool we need for our unhoused residents here in Riverside County. Each of these projects will expand our existing infrastructure and support individuals who are struggling with a housing crisis,” said Heidi Marshall, the Deputy Director of the County of Riverside department of Housing and Workforce Solutions.
