City secures nearly $4M to address homelessness
Aug. 12—The city of Bakersfield announced Thursday nearly $4 million from the state to address homelessness by creating permanent supportive housing, a new shelter and other solutions.
This is the fourth time the city has received funds from the California Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant, and this year, Bakersfield received $3.99 million to address the underlying causes of homelessness, according to Ward 2 City CouncilmanAndrae Gonzales.
Gonzales said he and city staff hear about these problems daily from their constituents, and he wanted Thursday's press conference to educate residents about the city's efforts to address them.
"The issue is obvious to everyone," Gonzales said. "But (what) I don't fully believe is obvious to the community though, is the amount of ... resources that we are investing."
The funds were broken down into the following categories:
* $1.25 million for capitalized operating subsidies to jump-start permanent supportive housing in partnership with the Housing Authority of Kern County
* $1 million for the Open Door Network, formerly known as the Bakersfield Homeless Center and the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, to support construction of family units and 100 shelter units
* $700,000 to add therapists and psychiatrists to the four major shelters in Bakersfield in partnership with Kern Medical
* $399,133 to support housing for youth
* $300,000 to support street outreach through Flood Ministries
* $279,309 for supportive administrative costs
* $61,813 for a homeless management information system to allow partnering agencies to access homelessness data
Gonzales noted the total is being added to money set aside for homelessness from Measure N, the one-cent local tax, which totals to $12 million. He noted these issues will not completely resolve homelessness, but the city is devoted to addressing the underpinnings of this crisis.
California also awarded Kern County $1.8 million under the Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant, Ally Soper, county spokeswoman, wrote in an email. It will be used for transportation in rural communities and for children at homeless shelters; outlying homeless centers; mobile showers; rural outreach response teams and local homeless youth outreach, she added.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities to address homelessness in a collaborative way. To do so, a system called the continuum of care also was given money to ensure city and county efforts remain seamless, said Anna Laven, executive director Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative.
Laven added the city has 3,000 beds available in the community dedicated to housing, and providing those services is vital.
Bakersfield resident Tabitha Owen, 48, who previously experienced homelessness for six years, received a voucher from the Housing Authority of Kern County. She has been sober for a year and half and has a job with Dollar Tree on Olive Drive.
"If it wasn't (for) the housing, I would be on drugs, homeless ... and possibly dead," Owens said.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
