Stanislaus County hires contractor to manage interim housing complex for Modesto’s homeless
Stanislaus County leaders approved a $2.8 million agreement Tuesday with a contractor to manage a complex that will provide interim housing and behavioral health services for homeless adults getting off the streets.
Dignity Village Modesto is planned as a 42-unit housing center at 402 Ninth St. The complex at Ninth and E streets will feature mini homes with common-area toilets and showers, dining facilities, clinic space and offices, a dog run, a garden and areas for social interactions, said Tony Vartan, director of county Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
The county has $10.8 million in Bridge Housing Program funding from the state through June 2027. It will contract with Modesto BHBH LP for daily management of Dignity Village Modesto.
The county, which is collaborating with city of Modesto, hopes the 42 residents will benefit from voluntary supportive services, with an aim to transition them to permanent supportive housing. The city of Modesto owns the property.
Modesto BHBH is a limited partnership formed by UP Holdings and RH Community Builders for the purpose of managing Dignity Village Modesto. Up Holdings is working with the city to develop the Travelers Motel as a state Homekey-funded project on North Ninth Street.
Up Holdings and RH Community Builders have developed and managed similar housing projects in Fresno, Tulare and Merced counties, a county staff report said. Modesto BHBH is expected to start placing residents in Dignity Village to meet a Dec. 26 state deadline. Plans are to break ground on construction in the fall.
Of the 2,052 homeless individuals in Stanislaus County recorded in the 2024 point-in-time count, about one-quarter self-reported a mental health disorder and 16% said they struggled with substance use, Vartan said in a presentation Tuesday to county supervisors.
Participants in the Stanislaus County CARE Court program will have priority for Dignity Village housing and having their treatment plan embedded in services at the complex. But there aren’t many CARE Court participants right now.
About a dozen people off Stanislaus streets through CARE Court
The Superior Court said 46 CARE Act petitions have been filed since October 2023 for homeless people with disabling mental illness. Citing a recent update on the CARE Court program, County Supervisor Terry Withrow said about a dozen people are off the streets in Stanislaus County through the CARE Court process. The program creates a path to accessing mental health treatment and housing through court-ordered treatment plans.
Stanislaus is one of seven counties in the CARE Act pilot program that began in October. Dignity Village will be aligned with other efforts to reduce homelessness through interim supportive housing.
Vartan has said that a resident might live at Dignity Village Modesto for three to six months before moving to the next level of housing, such as permanent supportive housing or a residential care facility.
As the operator of Dignity Village, Modesto BHBH will be responsible for daily management, coordination of tenant services, engaging residents in the treatment service and supports they need, fostering relationships with the community, ensuring staffing levels, maintenance and 24-hour security.
Modesto BHBH was selected because it’s one of the few organizations in the geographic area with the capabilities. “Management of properties and housing tenants with serious behavioral health conditions is a specialized service capacity, requiring specialized training and experience to provide the requested services,” the county staff report said.
