County set to assist in affordable housing
Set to provide services for Finca Serena
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors is set to begin the year with a bang at its meeting today.
The board has plenty on its agenda when it meets at 9 a.m. today. But the board could make quick work of the numerous items they’re set to approve as they’re all included in the board’s consent calendar.
Among those items on the consent calendar is providing assistance to the Finca Serena affordable housing project in Porterville.
Ground was broken on the 80-unit project in October and the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2023. The City of Porterville received a $20 million grant from the state for the project.
The development will provide high quality affordable housing at 385 S. E Street in Porterville. The project will include housing for those with disabilities and the homeless. The project will provide 40 units for the homeless and 40 high quality low income units.
As part of the project Tulare County Health and Human Services will enter into an agreement to provide 14 units for those the department serves. The units will be for those with severe mental illness and those who are experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness Health and Human Services serves.
One item on the agenda is use No Place Like Home funds the county is receiving for the county to provide for two positions to serve those living at Finca Serena. The funding would be for a mental health case manager and a peer support specialist who will provide, social, health and other supportive services.
It will be a 20 year agreement with $150,000 a year being provided for the positions for a total of $3 million.
In addition as part of its consent calendar, the board will consider a rental agreement to pay for the rent of the 14 units for those served by Health and Human Services when those units are vacant. Through the rental agreement the rental amount is $769 a month. The agreement states tenants will pay no more than 30 percent of the area median income.
The county is again receiving No Place Like Home funds for this purpose. If all 14 units were vacant, the county would be responsible for nearly $11,000 a month and nearly $130,000.
The rental agreement would also be for 20 years, so theoretically the county could be responsible for nearly $2.6 million over that time period of all 14 units were vacant. But the county staff report also stated Health and Human Services “is confident this project will be successfully implemented and provide long-term benefit to the community and its customers.”
In addition as part of the consent calendar the board will consider approving $446,000 in federal CARES Act funds the county has received for the City of Lindsay. Almost $310,000 will be used for eligible households in need of mortgage and utility assistance and $136,000 will be used aid local businesses who can create or retain jobs as part of a forgivable loan program.
Also as part of its consent calendar the board will consider nearly $55,000 in funding to provide a Tulare County Sheriff's Deputy to service as a resource officer on campuses in the Porterville Unified School District.