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AVA NORGROVE, ANCHOR:
Last month, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness announced a new round of funding to communities across the state. NSPR's Alec Stutson has more on the funds, and how they're being put to use in the North State.
ALEC STUTSON, REPORTER:
This is the third round of grants since the Encampment Resolution Funding, or ERF, began accepting applications in 2021. This time 11 communities were selected to receive a total of more than $81 million. North State recipients include the cities of Redding and Oroville.
The program is designed to help communities transition unhoused residents from encampments to temporary shelter, and eventually to permanent housing. Meghan Marshall is the executive officer for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. She says ERF grants have a focus that separates them from other state aid programs.
MARSHALL: “This is the only program operated by state funds that requires applicants to identify one encampment for focus of services."
The most recent round of funding awarded $8.3 million to the city of Redding, and $1.7 million to the city of Oroville, who were also awarded funds during a previous round of ERF last year.
Oroville city staff say the funds will help expand the Oroville Rescue Mission by adding more shelter beds and a Pallet shelter village on site.
The Rescue Mission in Oroville began as a soup kitchen in the ‘60s, and has since become a core pillar of homeless aid in the area.
Allan Dikes is the executive director there. He says ERF will help them lower the barriers to shelter, as well as provide additional services.
DIKES: "We're also offering full wraparound services. We're partnering with other agencies, such as behavioral health, other organizations, so that when a person comes in, we can identify the barriers that are keeping them from housing, and then we're able to take that and work the process and get them into permanent housing. That's our goal.”
Dikes says he hopes to have a soft launch of the new services in early January.
