Greetings!
I just got off a webinar put on by the State Housing and Community Development Department titled "Overview of Prop 1 Implementation". It was mostly aimed at what they called "housers", and you could tell from the Chat users that it was housing authorities and nonprofit housing developers. All have been waiting since the passage of Proposition One to find out what California has planned for the use of a $6 billion bond, in collaboration with ongoing funding from what is often referred to as the "millionaires tax" passed many years ago, which has funded mental health programs in counties. Recent Legislation which expands local responsibilities to include expanded substance abuse integration with mental health services, as well as reaching parity for mental health services with physical health services in Medi-Cal funding, all seem to have provided California with a pivotable moment.
The webinar presented a coordinated and exciting set of slides and speakers which generated nothing but hearts and smiles from the over 500 attendees. I was particularly happy to hear one of the strongest direction I've ever heard from the state for counties to solicit the integration of homeless coalitions, housing developers, mental health boards, veterans agencies, and youth and family-serving organizations.
The use in the beginning slide presentation of Sonoma County's own, Healdsburg-located, L & M village, as an example of the direction was also appreciated. HEAPA will collect all materials referred to in the webinar, and post them here, as well as links to the recording and state website resources. All who have fought for years to bring about a more integrated and community-driven system of state-funded and locally-managed resources for the care of homeless and low income residents will be pleased to know that it seems to be coming together finally.
Here is a link to the California Housing and Community Development Department's HomeKey+ webpage.
Here is a link to the recording and the slides.
