Riverside has received $4.3 million in state funds that it will use to help house homeless youth.
The grant was part of $156.4 million in state funds announced Nov. 7 by Gov. Gavin Newson, according to a statement on the city’s website.
Cities and counties will use that money to provide shelter for people and families who are homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless. Riverside officials expect to purchase five houses, enough to create 25 units.
“The City of Riverside’s commitment to reducing homelessness focuses on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in the statement. “We know young people, particularly foster youth, are vulnerable and at high risk of becoming homeless, which is why these funds are so critical to our overall strategy of addressing homelessness.”
Riverside will partner with Walden Family Services, a foster care service in Riverside. Both entities will provide supportive services for people ages 18-21, including pregnant and parenting youth, and foster and former foster youth, according to the statement.