VENTURA, Calif. – On Tuesday, July 25, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve $1.62 million in funding to support efforts to provide housing for homeless individuals in the Santa Clara Valley – serving individuals experiencing homelessness in the cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore, and the unincorporated area of Piru. The funding from the County will match funding provided by the cities of Santa Paula and Fillmore, as well as the State of California. The funds, which will be provided over a two-year period, starting in 2024, will go to support ongoing operations of a permanent year-round shelter with housing navigation services administrated by the non-profit Spirit of Santa Paula.
“This is a resource not just for one city – it’s for the city of Santa Paula, the city of Fillmore, and unincorporated areas,” said 3rd District Supervisor Kelly Long. “The Spirit of Santa Paula is a homeless shelter with a big heart. It serves a great purpose for the Santa Clara Valley as a whole and represents the city of Santa Paula, the city of Fillmore, and the County coming together to provide this resource. This action today is making the operations of the shelter sustainable for the future.”
This is the 4th initiative approved by the Board of Supervisors to address the growing need for affordable housing and increased services for individuals experiencing homelessness in the region. The Board of Supervisors has established previous agreements with the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, and Thousand Oaks to support needs related to assisting individuals experiencing homelessness.
“This is truly a collaborative effort amongst our community partners to make this year-round emergency shelter a sustainable model,” said Jennifer Harkey, Ventura County Continuum of Care Program Director. “This cost sharing agreement will provide much needed resources to those experiencing homelessness in the Santa Clara Valley, including case management and housing navigation. We applaud the County Board of Supervisors and cities of Santa Paula and Fillmore for their dedication to ending homelessness in Ventura County!”
The shelter will operate within the Ventura County Continuum of Care’s Pathways to Home program and will provide access to a wide range of programs and supportive services to provide temporary shelter to 49 individuals. Each occupant of the shelter will have access to case plan management and services that are client-centered, culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and sensitive to the wide range of needs of the occupants. The ultimate goal of the program is to assist each occupant in securing stable and affordable housing.
For more information on the efforts being made by the County of Ventura to address homelessness and the programs and services that are available to individuals experiencing homelessness, please visit the Ventura County Continuum of Care (VC CoC) website at www.venturacoc.org.
