The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday established a $2 million fund to end homelessness through transformative programs.
The fund is the latest in a series of measures that puts San Mateo County at the forefront of trying to put an end to one of California's most perplexing problems: moving unsheltered residents into services that will lead to permanent housing.
"We are looking for bold, collaborative efforts," said Don HorsleyWe set a goal to end homelessness and encourage everyone to contribute to that effort. "We set a goal to end homelessness and encourage everyone to contribute to that effort. This grant program is really intended to get people thinking and to engage people in viable, workable solutions."
Faith-based and nonprofit organizations, cities, towns and affiliated agencies serving homeless residents in San Mateo County may apply under the "Working Together to End Homelessness Innovation Grant Program."
Grant amounts will vary, and eligible applicants must provide some form of match and meet certain requirements, so teamwork, i.e., collaborations between cities, towns, nonprofits and other entities, is strongly encouraged.
"We know that many of the organizations that serve our unsheltered residents have great ideas, but not necessarily the means to implement them," noted Supervisor Warren Slocum. "Now, with this grant program, we are challenging those organizations to come up with new and innovative approaches."
The grant program builds on the county's extensive ongoing efforts to end homelessness, and to make that rare, brief and unique.
Recent efforts include purchasing five hotels for use as temporary and long-term housing, building a state-of-the-art Navigation Center, increasing the supply of affordable housing, and funding a variety of services to help the most vulnerable residents.
At the same time, the county is hosting a series of workshops leading up to the Working Together to End Homelessness Summit on October 28, 2022, where participants will help the county develop a "Homelessness Action Plan 2023."
Focus areas for innovative grants
The county's one-day homeless count conducted last Feb. 24 found that there were 1,92 unsheltered residents. That included 352 people living on the street or in encampments, 616 living in cars, vans or RVs, and 102 residing in secure parking lots - areas set aside for people to spend the night in vehicles.
Applicants must develop a plan to address how to engage those living on the streets or encampments or those living in vehicles with services or develop innovative ways to assist the homeless and formerly homeless with job training, work experience, and other steps toward financial self-sufficiency.
Projects can be new or proven ideas elsewhere, but new to San Mateo County. Applicants may also submit ideas that have worked on a small scale in the county with the goal of expanding countywide.
Grant application evaluation criteria will include, but are not limited to: the scope of need for the proposed project in the target service area, the applicant's experience and skills in providing services to unsheltered residents, and whether the proposal proves an innovative and/or replicable approach to assisting unsheltered residents.
In addition, the extent to which the proposed project promotes equity and whether the budget is sufficient and appropriate for the proposed work and includes a match that reflects the scale of the project.
Of note, an information session for potential applicants will be held on September 22 via Zoom at 2 p.m. Grant applications will be accepted from Wednesday, September 14, 2022 until 5 p.m. on October 7.
Recipients will be notified of awards during the last week of October and funds are expected to be distributed in mid-November.
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