SLO County announces $5.5 million investment in housing and homelessness relief

John Lynch
·2 min read

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San Luis Obispo County made $5.5 million in housing and homelessness assistance funds available for grant applications Friday morning, the Department of Social Services said in a news release.

The funding can be used to pay for homelessness prevention and shelter diversion efforts and service coordination, including access to workforce, education and training programs, the release said.

Applicants can also use the funds to cover the cost of rapid rehousing, rental assistance, supportive services that allow people to obtain and retain housing and street outreach to people experiencing homelessness, according to the release.

Funds may also be used to pay for the operation of navigation centers and emergency shelters, along with permanent and transitional housing opportunities, according to the release.

The following funds will be made available for applications on the county’s website until March 1, the news release said:

  • $105,059 in fiscal year 2023 State Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program funds

  • $2,918,025 in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 3 (HHAP-3) funds

  • $1,734,767 in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 (HHAP-4) funds

  • $149,723 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Program 2020 funds

  • $175,715 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Program 2021 funds

  • $88,769 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Program 2022 funds

  • $328,924 in HOME American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Program funds.

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide whether or not to approve an applicant’s funding request in April, according to the release.

In the past four years, ESG, HHAP and HOME Act funds have been used by San Luis Obispo County nonprofits to expand their staffs and increase shelter and outreach efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, in 2022 the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo used a $1.09 million ESG-CV grant — a COVID-19-specific variant of the ESG grant — to expand its case management and outreach team to five members at the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center.