The Yolo County District Attorney wrote and submitted the successful grant application
(Woodland, CA) – December 31, 2018 Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on December 26, 2018, his office’s grant team successfully assisted Fourth & Hope in obtaining funding to start a new transitional housing program. The grant will provide up to $1.5 million over a span of five years. This funding, awarded by the California Office of Emergency Services Transitional Housing (XH) Program, will provide community additional resources to effectively serve homeless victims of crime in Yolo County.
Fourth & Hope has provided emergency shelter services in Yolo County since 1985. For 33 years, Fourth & Hope has demonstrated a commitment to addressing homelessness and helping some of the most vulnerable members of our community re-establish themselves. The organization is dedicated to changing lives, providing supportive services, and working closely with partners throughout Yolo County.
The Homeless Opportunity and Positive Engagement (HOPE) Housing Program will use a “housing first” model, which prioritizes placement in housing as the first step towards assisting the homeless in working towards self-sufficiency. The grant will fund a full-time Case Manager to work directly with homeless clients, with support from existing Fourth and Hope staff and volunteers. Empower Yolo will partner with Fourth and Hope on the project to provide rapid re-housing services to help clients secure permanent housing. Funds will also be used for security deposit financial assistance and short-term rental assistance for up to three months after moving into a permanent housing arrangement. Fourth & Hope will collaborate with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), the Woodland Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST), Empower Yolo, and other local nonprofits to execute this new program.
The proposal was written by Jake Whitaker and Kevin Clark, two members of the District Attorney’s grant team, in collaboration with Amara Pickens at Fourth & Hope. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts by the District Attorney’s Office to partner with nonprofits and other county agencies in order to help secure funding to start new programs that align with Yolo County’s Strategic Plan priorities. During the past year, the District Attorney’s Office has assisted with putting together funding proposals on behalf of Fourth and Hope, Empower Yolo, the Probation Department, the Health and Human Services Agency, and CommuniCare Health Centers. In 2017, the District Attorney’s Office partnered with Empower Yolo and Shores of Hope to fund a new emergency shelter in West Sacramento.
“We have an outstanding team of grant writers who are knowledgeable, dedicated and very creative,” said District Attorney Jeff Reisig. “We are always pleased to assist our partners particularly when it comes to important causes such as homelessness. We will continue to seek out partnerships with nonprofits and other county agencies to achieve shared policy goals.”
Fourth & Hope Executive Director Doug Zeck, Jr. expressed his appreciation for the community’s ongoing support of their mission. “We are excited to increase capacity to serve the most vulnerable neighbors within our community. The ability to develop strong partnerships is key to long lasting stability for those we serve. Projects like this turn hope for housing into a reality.”
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