(SACRAMENTO) – Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) applauds the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council for awarding $12.5 million to the Monterey and San Benito Counties Continuum of Care. The funds, a Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant, will be allocated regionally by the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers to help those who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness.
“While much difficult work remains to get our homeless residents the help they need, this grant is good news and an important step in the ongoing effort to combat the problem,” said Rivas. “These funds will help our local communities pay for emergency housing, construction of shelters, targeted youth programs and other opportunities for those who so desperately need them. As a county supervisor, I was proud to help launch the Housing Opportunities Meals Empowerment Resource (HOME) Center. I know that with this grant funding, local leaders will have opportunities to help even more people, and I look forward to assisting them in any way I can,” Rivas continued. “Moving forward, there must be a continued effort to provide the resources necessary to ensure no resident in our communities goes homeless.”
HEAP is a one-time block grant program designed to provide direct assistance to cities, counties and Continuums of Care (CoC's) to address the homelessness crisis throughout California. HEAP is authorized by SB 850, which was signed into law by then-Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. in 2018. The Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), under the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency is responsible for the administration of HEAP.
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