Cathedral City to welcome homeless development thanks to state funding
Cathedral City is set to welcome one of four housing developments meant to address the region’s homeless crisis, thanks to an infusion of funding California’s No Place Like Home Program.
Riverside County was awarded $23.7 million in funding, which will be used to create 162 units of “permanent supportive housing for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness who are homeless, chronically homeless or at-risk of homelessness,” according to a Riverside University Health Service (RUHS) news release.
“We are very pleased with the announcement of this funding and are excited to move forward to provide much-need permanent supportive housing for Riverside County,” said Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of RUHS-BH. “We look forward to these units becoming available starting in 2020.”
Three of the developments, which will involved new construction, will be in the city of Riverside. The fourth location will be open after the “rehabilitation of an existing senior community” by National Community Renaissance, per RUHS.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the No Place Like Home Program and decides how funds will be distributed through a competitive application process.
Outside of the housing itself, resources will be made available for future tenants of the development.
“Using a housing first model of engaging and retaining homeless individuals in housing, the apartment communities will provide access to supportive services that will include behavioral health and substance abuse services from Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health (RUHS-BH),” read the RUHS news release. “In addition, connections to health care and community-based resources will also be offered. RUHS-BH currently provides supportive services to 105 units of permanent supportive housing in 7 apartment communities across Riverside County.”
More information on the No Place Like Home program is available rcdmh.org/Administration/NPLH.
