South Lake Tahoe among first to receive homeless housing funds

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) will be receiving $9,576,000 to help their goal of ending homelessness in South Lake Tahoe. The community was one of seven California cities and counties to receive the first wave of Project Homekey grants totaling $76.5 million.

"Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless is pleased to receive support from Governor Gavin Newsom for our hard work to end homelessness on the South Shore," said TCH Executive Director Cheyenne Purrington. "The State's ambitious Project Homekey program will provide much-needed resources to address the twin crises of homelessness and COVID-19, which are both exacerbated by Tahoe's cold winter climate. While in years past, the Coalition has provided simple, emergency shelter to save lives, Project Homekey allows us to provide much-needed affordable housing that benefits local community members."

Purrington said they've worked closely with first responders, fire, police, and EMTs, as well as the healthcare team at Barton Health and other organizations to execute data-proven strategies.

"By leveraging federal and state funds, we'll be saving local public agencies, private businesses, and the broader economy millions of local dollars. It's a huge win for the South Shore, at a time when we need it most," said Purrington.

Lake Elsinore, El Centro, Mendocino, Kern County, Contra Costa County and San Jose, along with South Lake Tahoe, were awarded the first wave of $600 million in grants that will go to ease homelessness across the state this year.

The $9,576,000 given to TCH and South Lake Tahoe are to acquire four projects totaling 82 units. These projects will help the Tahoe Basin achieve its goal of functional zero for chronic homelessness within the next two years.

TCH is planning on buying four old motel properties with the funds. Once negotiations are complete they will release the locations.

"We're excited to have the community's support to make this happen," said Purrington. "Only a few places in California have managed to end homelessness, and the Governor's program will help make that a reality. Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be sharing more information about Home before the Holidays and offering unique ways to get involved. We know folks will want to volunteer and donate, so we're developing ways to increase our collective impact and solve this problem. It's going to be a great way to come together, even when we're separate."

More about the plan for TCH in South Lake Tahoe will be released once details are worked out.

These four projects will help get the Tahoe Basin to functional zero homelessness. The area’s 2019 point in time (PIT) counted 110 homeless people, of whom 78 percent were unsheltered and 53 percent were chronically homeless. El Dorado County currently has no year-round shelter or permanent supportive housing on the South Shore. Purrington said many who have used the winter shelter in South Lake Tahoe were employed but not able to afford rent.

The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) began accepting applications for Homekey on July 22, 2020. Additional awards are expected weekly until all $600 million has been awarded. The response from local governments and housing providers was significant – demonstrating the strength of these state-local partnerships. By the priority application deadline on August 13, a total of 138 applications had been received from 67 jurisdictions statewide, with a total of nearly $1.06 billion requested.