The Susanville city council will address permanent local housing this coming Wednesday. With homelessness set as the council’s top priority, one long-term solution presented during last month’s council was how and where housing could be established within the city to accommodate those without shelter due to their circumstances that can be housed. City Administrator Dan Newton shared with the council that during his visits to the encampments along the Susan river, he found a handful without a permanent home because they have had tenant issues in the past and are unsuitable for housing. Those in that circumstance will have to fall under another option to resolve their taking up shelter at the river.
Yet, for those that can be housed, the city has been in talks with the county’s Social Service Department to address the needs of the homeless. Those discussions have led to a source of federal funding for a Permanent Local housing Allocation Program. The funds would come from senate bill 2 from 2017, allowing up to 10 uses of revenue collected from real estate transactions ranging from developer loans to supportive services, navigation centers, and even down payment assistance.
The council is proposing to start with funding a staff person to work under the police department as a community service officer to assist the county in providing supportive and case management services addressing homelessness. The city will have until October 31st to apply for funds from 2019 allocations. The grant funding would be upwards of 560,000dollars. The grant application would be brought back during a public hearing at the council’s October 19th meeting if approved.
