Berkeley Awarded $16.2 Million to House the Homeless
BERKELEY AWARDED $16.2 MILLION TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS
Funds to be used to purchase and rehabilitate the Golden Bear Inn, one of six projects to receive funding from California’s Homekey program
BERKELEY – Today, as part of the state’s Homekey program which provides housing to people experiencing homelessness, Governor Gavin Newsom announced $70 million in awards for the creation of 232 housing units across six projects in California. $16.2 million was allocated to Berkeley to acquire the Golden Bear Inn. The Inn is located in Northwest Berkeley, an area that has experienced an increase in homelessness in recent years. This was the only Bay Area project to receive funding from today’s announcement.
“This is serious funding to help communities like ours respond to California’s most serious problem; homelessness,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín. “The City is aggressively pursuing these funds in response to growing concerns over the impacts of homelessness, and this is the second grant we’ve received in just two months that will help us acquire more beds and improve quality of life for our community.”
The 44-unit hotel will be converted into 43 permanent supportive housing studios for people experiencing homelessness in addition to a manager’s unit. On-site amenities will include space for counseling, a community room and a dining hall. Off-site amenities, located within a half mile of the project, include a grocery store, a healthcare facility, a library, a pharmacy and access to public transit.
Under the Homekey program, local entities partner with California’s Department of Housing and Community Development to create housing to serve people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases.
“We know that permanent supportive housing is the evidence-based solution to homelessness in our community”, said Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani, who represents Northwest Berkeley. “This Homekey funding will enable us to create 44 permanent homes that I hope will transform the lives of residents. We stand ready to welcome our new neighbors to District 1."
In March Berkeley received a $4.7 million grant from the State of California’s Encampment Resolution Fund, enabling the city to secure 42 rooms at the Rodeway Inn to house those currently living in People’s Park. According to the latest point-in-time count in 2019, there are 1,108 unhoused individuals living in Berkeley. This is an increase of 14% from 2017, whereas Alameda County saw a 43% increase during the same time period. Current estimates suggest the unhoused population could be higher in 2022 due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 which disproportionately impacted low-income communities. New data on homeless populations are expected this summer.