Riverside County Awarded $29.5 million to Combat Homelessness

Funding to provide housing for homeless, including families, veterans, and seniors

NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE – Riverside County received an award of $29.5 million in state funding to create 147 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness who are homeless, chronically homeless, or at-risk of homelessness, County officials announced Monday.

The supportive housing units will be embedded within four newly built affordable apartment communities in the cities of Wildomar, Coachella, and Riverside. These communities will be developed by Palm Communities, Abode Communities, and NPHS, Inc., with construction scheduled to begin in 2024.  Residents of the supportive housing units will receive supportive services including mental health care, substance use disorder support, and physical health care, and referrals to additional resources.

Riverside County successfully secured the No Place Like Home funding due in part to RUHS-Behavioral Health’s commitment to provide wrap-around services to the residents, coupled with the Housing Authority's commitment to provide housing vouchers for the units.

"This is one of the most significant investments in affordable housing that Riverside County has ever seen," said Heidi Marshall, Director of Riverside County's Housing and Workforce Solutions Department.  "This is important because it will provide much-needed, supportive housing, wrap-around services, and stability to the most vulnerable residents in our community."

"Changing lives requires significant, dedicated investment into each individual," said Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of Behavioral Health for Riverside University Health System.  "Here, individuals will find the behavioral health resources and support they need, such as case management, peer support services, mental health care, substance use disorder support, and physical health care, while getting help with skills to succeed in housing."

The permanent supportive housing will be created through a partnership between the county and three affordable housing developers that will develop, own and operate the apartment communities in which the permanent supportive housing units are located.

For more information about the No Place Like Home program, visit rcdmh.org/Administration/NPLH