Corona secures $1.4 million in grants for new homeless facility

Corona has secured $1.4 million in state and federal funding for the city’s new homeless facility, officials announced Tuesday.

The Harrison HOPE Center, which welcomed its first guests in June, is a supportive-services hub for Corona community members experiencing homelessness. The facility at 420 W. Harrison St. provides an on-site medical clinic, job development and life skills training as well as housing resources that include tenant-based rental assistance and permanent supportive housing. 

City officials recently applied for a $400,000 grant from the state’s Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program to expand after-hours recuperative care and supportive services at the Harrison Center. 

The second successful grant application was a $1 million American Rescue Plan Act grant to reimburse the city for a portion of its $3 million capital investment to renovate the Harrison Center, officials said. The $1 million reimbursement from ARPA will go toward expanding services and supporting the day-to-day operation of the center. 

Both grants received approval from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors after input from the county’s Housing and Workforce Solutions Department.

“Since the launch of the City of Corona’s Homeless Strategic Plan in June 2020, the County of Riverside Housing and Workforce Solutions Department has been a key strategic partner in the plan’s successful implementation thanks to their significant investments,” Mayor Tony Daddario said in a statement provided to the Corona News Press. “We are immensely grateful for the grants that will help fund after-hours post hospital recuperative care, emergency shelter, and supportive services all connected to the Harrison HOPE Center.

“With this funding, we’re not only providing a safe place for people in need but also offering them the support and services they require to get back on their feet,” Daddario said.

One of the 10 specified goals for Corona’s Homeless Strategic Plan is to develop partnerships with the county and the HWS Continuum of Care, which is a countywide network of public- and private-sector providers of homeless services. 

Officials said that in addition to chairing the Continuum of Care, Corona Homeless Solutions Manager Karen Roper “applies for many different grants to leverage the City’s limited funding resources.”

Roper, along with city and county officials, was in the nation’s capital this week attending the National Conference on Ending Homelessness. She said she was scheduled to meet with representatives from Gov. Newsom’s office, members of Congress and their staffers “to discuss best practices and policies related to affordable housing and homelessness.”

In a statement to the News Press, Roper pointed to Corona’s 60% reduction this year in unsheltered homelessness.

“This is due to the successful implementation of multiple initiatives in our Homeless Strategic Plan,” Roper said. “The County’s Housing and Workforce Solutions Department investment of $1.4 M in our Harrison HOPE Center will continue to help Corona to move the needle even further to reduce homelessness. The success achieved thus far is a testament to our collective efforts, and together, we can build a community where everyone has a safe place to call home.”

More information about Corona’s efforts to reduce homelessness is available at  www.theroadhome.coronaca.gov or email homelesssolutions@coronaca.gov. 

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