In July 2016 the California State Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1618 to establish the NPLH Program to leverage up to $2 billion in funding to build or refurbish permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals with a serious mental illness. Annual Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) were to be issued by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) over a five year period.
In September 2018 the Board approved an advocacy position for the NPLH program that authorized the issuance of bonds to fund permanent supportive housing for individuals with mental illness. In November 2018 HCD published the first of five annual NOFAs.
In January 2019 the Board authorized the County to competitively apply for and upon award accept NPLH funds in partnership with Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (“Development Sponsor”) for a 30-unit new construction development project located at 901 Los Medanos Street in Pittsburg, and to execute documents necessary to accept the funds. In June 2019 the County was notified that this application was successful and that the project would be funded.
Concurrent with this time period HSD, in partnership with the Department of Public Works, conducted a Board approved feasibility study of the Oak Grove site and secured Capital Project services from an architectural firm to develop renovation plans for the two existing buildings at the County owned Oak Grove site. The original premise was to determine the feasibility of 1) converting the vacant residential treatment building into a 16 bed short term residential treatment program (STRTP) for youth experiencing high acuity serious emotional disorders who were being sent out of county to privately owned treatment facilities, and 2) co-locating a multi-disciplinary treatment team to provide mental health services and supports. While the administrative building was deemed financially feasible for the treatment team, the cost of rehabilitating and re-purposing the residential building was deemed to be far in excess of the anticipated benefits. Therefore, planning will continue to try to locate a more appropriate and financially feasible site for the potential STRTP.
Leadership from HSD Divisions, Public Works and the Department of Conservation and Development convened, and with stakeholder support developed an alternate strategy for the Oak Grove site. This alternate strategy is to potentially seek NPLH funding to construct 20 supportive housing units for transition age youth experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness.
HSD is seeking Board approval to move forward with adjusting previously authorized county level MHSA planning funds for the Oak Grove site. This adjustment would be to determine the feasibility of seeking state level MHSA funds for permanent supportive housing for young adults at the Oak Grove site through the NPLH Program. The Department would come back to the Board with more project details and cost projections before pursuing the funding from NPLH.
If not approved, the County’s ability to secure permanent supportive housing for persons with a serious mental illness who are homeless, chronically homeless or at risk of chronic homelessness may be diminished.
Permanent supportive housing supports all five of Contra Costa County’s children’s outcomes: (1) Children ready for and succeeding in school; (2) Children and youth healthy and preparing for productive adulthood; 3) Families that are economically self-sufficient; 4) Families that are safe, stable and nurturing; and, 5) Communities that ae safe and provide a high quality of life for children and families.