While Los Angeles County, nonprofit organizations and private developers are actively building new affordable and supportive housing units to address the homelessness emergency, a parallel effort is under way to preserve one critical form of existing housing.
The Board of Supervisors recently gave approval to a program that will offer more than $60 million in grants to preserve the existing supply of licensed residential care facilities that may need upgrades, repairs, and other improvements to maintain their licensing and operations.
Licensed residential care facilities for the elderly or chronically ill play a critical role in the ongoing effort to ensure positive treatment outcomes and prevent the cycle of homelessness. These facilities are typically for people who require 24/7 care and supervision to help them remain stably housed. Licensed residential facilities, which include Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (commonly known as Board and Cares), can be an especially critical housing resource for people who are homeless, leaving an institution such as a hospital or institute for mental disease, on conservatorship or at risk of becoming homeless due to the need for a higher level of care.
The funding will target facilities with a critical gap in their financial ability to make needed repairs or upgrades, placing the facility at risk of closure or reducing their number of licensed beds for qualified residents. The program will also fund repairs needed to ensure facilities are compliant with license and health and safety standards.
About $55 million of the funds will be supplied by the state of California with about $11 million from the county. More information can be found: https://www.ccecp.org/