LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Lake County has been granted $3.3 million in the first round of awards for Homekey, California’s innovative $600 million program to provide long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Lake County Department of Social Services, in partnership with Adventist Health Clear Lake, has contracted with Hope Rising Lake County to operate Hope Center at 3400 Emerson Drive in Clearlake.

Hope Rising Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community benefit organization composed of health systems and services, county leaders, nonprofits, and other relevant organizations that serve Lake County.

The organization leads a joint effort to leverage resources and to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the community.

Hope Center in Clearlake is a 20-bed interim housing facility as well as a housing navigation hub that will provide additional housing navigation services and resources for those not sheltered at Hope Center.

Hope Center interim housing is not just a “homeless shelter.” This project is focused on housing navigation, empowering Lake County residents currently experiencing homelessness to find sustainable paths to housing.

In January of this year, 572 people were identified as experiencing homelessness or living in a place not meant for human habitation in Lake County. Hope Center will allow Lake County to begin to address this housing crisis even in the midst of COVID-19.

Participants will be able to access a variety of services, including housing case management, medical services and health screenings, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, 12-step meetings, health and nutrition education, job training and work experience (such as catering and landscaping), benefit enrollment, legal assistance and transportation, among others.

Lake County residents who meet eligibility requirements may self-refer or be referred by partner agencies, law enforcement, EMS, or the emergency department of local hospitals.

Acceptance of applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic will prioritize clients identified by Health Services as being particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 in our community.

Access to programs is not contingent on sobriety, minimum income requirements, lack of a criminal record, completion of treatment, participation in services, or other unnecessary conditions not related to safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April, the Clearlake City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Adventist Health Clear Lake and Hope Rising Lake County in which the city agreed to contribute $500,000 in bond funds for the Hope Center, as Lake County News has reported.

Officials have so far not reported a date for when the Hope Center is set to open.