San Bernardino unveiled plans Wednesday, Jan. 24, for a 140-unit housing development for men experiencing homelessness on the heels of news the city has been awarded a $35 million state grant for the project.
Under a gray sky and with chickens clucking in the distance on G Street in San Bernardino, a couple dozen elected and nonprofit leaders gathered Wednesday morning to share details about the project planned by Lutheran Social Services Southern California and the city. The two partnered on the application for the Homekey grant announced by Gov. Gavin 色情论坛om last week.
“This is believed to be the most substantial, competitive grant ever received by our city,” Mayor Helen Tran said Wednesday. “This is huge for San Bernardino.”
On Thursday, San Bernardino will join cities across the region who are canvassing their homeless populations this week as part of an annual survey that is used to determine shelter needs and more.
San Bernardino County last year reported a 26% increase in homelessness after the January 2023 survey. The city of San Bernardino reported more than 1,000 residents without permanent shelter in the survey, and in February 2023 declared homelessness a local emergency before approving a series of initiatives to combat the problem.
Construction of the at 1354 N. G St. is expected to begin right away and developers plan to wrap up their work in nine to 11 months, according to LaSharnda Beckwith, president and CEO of LSSSC, a regional social services nonprofit based in the city of Orange.
“We’re counting on having a groundbreaking this time next year,” Beckwith said.
Plans for the Wellness Campus extend beyond housing for those without permanent shelter. According to proponents, the campus will provide residents with on-site health care, behavioral health treatment, job training and placement, rehabilitation services and assistance in finding long-term housing.
The housing will be limited to men only, Beckwith said, but other services and counseling will be available to nonresidents.
“Here in San Bernardino, and across California, our biggest challenge is addressing the homelessness crisis and ensuring that we build more affordable housing,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, said Wednesday. “All of us, as elected officials, take that seriously, and we want to do everything we can to help construct new facilities, like this one.”
This grant is not just an investment in infrastructure, Aguilar said, but also an investment in second chances for residents who will be housed at the San Bernardino campus.
The total cost of the project is nearly $50 million, according to Randy Bevilacqua, LSSSC’s vice president of marketing and communications.
