Group seeking solutions to homelessness in Redding, Shasta County, to meet this week

Damon Arthur, Redding Record Searchlight
·2 min read

North State residents interested in offering solutions to the region's problem with homelessness will get their chance to speak up, starting Wednesday.

The NorCal Continuum of Care, a multi-county consortium that coordinates homeless assistance programs, plans to hold a series of meetings to take public comment on a Regionally Coordinated Homeless Action Plan, and the continuum wants to hear from the public.

The first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Community Room at Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave. in Redding. Two more meetings are planned next month: 10 a.m. Feb. 8 in the Community Room at city hall and 2 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Caldwell Park Room at city hall.

Kristen Schreder, chairwoman of the continuum's executive committee, said the meetings are meant to take comment from the public.

"This is all about public engagement," Schreder said.

For those who can't attend one of the meetings in-person there are also three virtual meetings. People can attend the Wednesday meeting online by going to https://bit.ly/NorCalCoC1. The website address for the Feb. 8 meeting is https://bit.ly/NorCalCoC2, and the online address for the Feb. 22 meeting is https://bit.ly/NorCalCoC3.

The virtual meetings are all at the same date and time as the in-person meetings, according to the Continuum of Care.

"The primary focus of these sessions is to gather input on the development of the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan. This plan will play a pivotal role in directing the use of diverse funding sources to support permanent housing and services," according to a news release sent out by the continuum.

The NorCal Continuum of Care is a consortium of public agencies in Del Norte, Modoc, Lassen, Sierra, Shasta, Plumas and Siskiyou Counties That are working to address the homelessness issue. Schreder said there is about $7.1 million to address the homelessness issue in the seven counties.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Monday announced another $463,991 had been awarded to the NorCal Continuum Care for housing programs in the region.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Have a solution to homelessness? Be heard on Jan. 31 in Redding.