Chico awarded $2.7 million for homeless services, housing

CHICO — Chico was awarded with a $2.7 million grant to fund housing and homeless services as part of a $192 million batch of grants awarded Thursday by the state’s Encampment Resolution Funding Program.

Chico’s project application states a goal to serve 62 people across seven small, non-contiguous camps in north Butte County near Highway 99, Highway 32 and Cohasset Road.

The $2.7 million will contribute funding into Chico’s Genesis site operations for 30 people, pay for rental assistance for 32 people and pay for outreach and engagement staff positions with Chico and Butte County.

In a statewide conference announcing the funding Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the moment comes with a spirit of a “hope of accountability,” and he stressed that programs are funded based on specific outcomes for specific people.

His administration was charged with inadequately assessing homeless programs’ cost-effectiveness in an April 9 report by the State Auditor.

“People have had it; they’re fed up. I’ve had it; I’m fed up,” Newsom said. “I know the mayors and the city administrators are fed up as well. None of us are naive about the expectation that has been set in terms of our constituents.

“People want to see these tents and encampments removed, but they want to see them removed in a compassionate and thoughtful way,” he said.

Chico’s stated outcome for their proposal is to address 62 people by a goal date of June 30, 2027.

Mayor Andrew Coolidge, who attended the governor’s conference Thursday, said he was surprised to see Newsom acknowledge challenges of striking a balance between constituent pressure to clean public spaces and addressing homeless people with compassion.

Coolidge said he thinks Chico has struggled with striking the balance of pressures, “but I certainly think we’re leading in the state …”

“As much as there are reasons behind the scene as to why we’re in the position we are … the particular path we’re on was unique from the very beginning,” he said, referring to the Warren v. Chico settlement agreement.

“The lawsuit was certainly the catalyst for doing that, but I think the way it ended up really speaks to the leadership on the council for making it something that can work,” Coolidge said.

In response to Newsom’s call for accountability, Coolidge said it is important to Chico in being transparent with its costs, and gave Tuesday’s City Council meeting which outlined operations of Genesis over the course of two years as an example.

Coolidge said programs in the county can always use more funding, and that, in the future, Chico aims to step up as a partner with the state.

“The governor’s office has done a really great job reaching out locally. … I think he see’s Chico as a willing partner regardless of the political differences,” Coolidge said.

“And I’ve tried to make it very clear to the governor’s office in the last year that Chico is a willing partner with the state of California both in the funding side but also getting this issue taken care of.”