11 months ago
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VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The City of Visalia announced Monday they person already decided wherever to allocate the funds they received connected Friday to combat homelessness.
Governor Gavin Newsom granted 18 cities, $131 million to assistance combat their stateless crisis and Visalia was among those cities.
The assistance comes from the state's $1 cardinal encampment solution funds.
Mayor Brian Poochigian says they program to divided the grant. $1.5 cardinal volition beryllium fixed to the Visalia Navigation Center and different $1.5 cardinal volition beryllium handed to an up-and-coming supportive lodging project.
“Every clip we walk money, we privation to spot results for our money," said Visalia Mayor Brian Poochigian.
The assistance comes astatine a cleanable clip for the Visalia Navigation Center, which held its ribbon-cutting ceremonial past week.
“It was conscionable large to perceive the news of the ongoing funds arsenic we enactment towards opening and bringing our guests successful and past being a nonprofit and an cognition that's ever moving, we're ever looking for donations,” said Jeff Forbes, CSET'S manager of connection and accusation systems.
The "low-barrier" stateless and assets halfway tin location up to 100 residents, of each ages. Some tin adjacent enactment up to six months astatine a time.
“It's not conscionable a structure but we're providing 3 meals a day, we're going to person spouse organizations who are present housed with us, providing services similar intelligence wellness and occupation training, entree to, you know, impermanent and imperishable housing,” said Forbes.
The different fractional of the assistance goes to the Majestic, a caller task done RHCB Development, which consists of 41 imperishable lodging units.
“There's each these tools that we could usage to effort to get radical disconnected the street,” said Poochigian.
A survey successful 2023 recovered astir 500 individuals were experiencing homelessness successful the City of Visalia.
“It has grown, and I deliberation we spot that arsenic we're retired and about," Forbes said.
Back successful August, the metropolis updated its camping ordinance, prohibiting overnight encampments successful nationalist parks. First-time violators volition look a $100 fine.
“We’re giving our constabulary officers besides tools to enactment down with our stateless population,” said Poochigian.
In the coming weeks, the Navigation Center volition officially unfastened its doors and commencement lodging individuals.
