California giving Stanislaus providers $720K to keep homeless safe during pandemic
Homeless service providers in Stanislaus County have been awarded nearly $720,000 to help keep their clients safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The emergency grants are among the $100 million California has awarded to cities, counties and other providers statewide, according to a Monday news release.
The Stanislaus Community System of Care has been awarded $374,758 and Stanislaus County has been awarded $344,787, according to a list of awards.
“The funding is intended for measures to help prevent and contain COVID-19 and can be used for medically indicated services and supplies, such as testing and hand-washing stations,” states the release from the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. The agency’s Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council sent the award letters Monday.
“It can also be used for such things as acquiring new shelters, supplies and equipment for emergency shelter operations, increasing shelter capacity, street outreach, and acquiring locations to place individuals who need to be isolated because of COVID-19 illness or exposure,” according to the release.
The $100 million is part of as much as $1 billion the state Legislature approved March 16 to contain the pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom set aside the $100 million for California’s 13 largest cities, its 58 counties and its 44 continuums of care, including the Stanislaus Community System of Care, whose members include faith-based organizations, local nonprofits and the county.
“We are still developing a strategy to spend the funds,” county spokeswoman Amy Vickery said in an email Tuesday. She said the system of care’s leadership council will hold an emergency meeting by phone as soon as this week to discuss the funding.
Awards for other local communities include $1 million to Stockton and $512,734 to the Stockton-San Joaquin County continuum of care and $109,012 to Merced County as well as $118,488 to the continuum in that county.
