San Luis Obispo County is moving forward on a project to address homeless encampments in a flood and fire zone.
The Board of Supervisors recently accepted a grant of about 13 million dollars from the state’s Interagency Council on Homelessness. Called Encampment Resolution Funds, the money will fund efforts to reduce homeless encampments and improve living conditions for unhoused people.
Suzie Freeman is with SLO County Homeless Services.
“I'm personally very excited about it,” Freeman said. “I see this as a step-change in the way that the County has been operating.”
Freeman says the waste that accumulates from these encampments can be dangerous for those living there because it can become fuel for fires. It also can put nearby businesses and landowners at risk.
To tackle this issue, the County will carry out a 3-phase project specifically targeting encampments along the Bob Jones Bike Trail in San Luis Obispo.
Freeman said the first phase of the project aims to reduce how much waste accumulates on the trail, specifically the section parallel to South Higuera Street.
“A lot of that will be installing bathrooms near the trail entrances, dumpsters all along the trail,” Freeman said.
For the second phase, the County will collaborate closely with the City of SLO to enhance their outreach services. Freeman said they plan to send housing navigators to help people currently living in the encampments.
“These will be people that will be connecting with those currently residing near the San Luis Creek to give them options as far as what their next steps can be,” Freeman said.
For the third and final phase, SLO County will build its first-ever permanent housing facility. The County is partnering with the company, LifeArk, to build modular homes, which are tiny houses that can be easily transported and assembled.
Freeman said the housing will be similar to the “Cabins for Change” housing units in Grover Beach, but with 4 times the number of units.
“You can pick and choose what you need and assemble it, similar to Legos, and they will be using this to build 80 different housing units,” Freeman said. “These will be connected, and they will be single-story.”
Freeman said the new housing, named the Welcome Home Village, will offer services and amenities to help unhoused individuals get back on their feet “including one-on-one case management, along with things such as laundry facilities, kitchens, private bathrooms.”
Later this summer, the County will host a community information session to share more details.
To learn more, you can visit slocity.org.
