Baca to chair San Bernardino County homeless, housing board

San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. was elected last month to chair the Continuum of Care Board, which oversees efforts to address homelessness and create affordable housing, officials announced Thursday.

The board is comprised of representatives from cities, the county and nonprofit organizations who collaborate to create policies that aim to ensure accountability and effectiveness toward meeting the county’s goals in addressing homelessness. County officials said that as board chair, Baca will provide the board with “oversight, direction and leadership,” conduct and facilitate board meetings, set meeting agendas with assistance from the county’s Office of Homeless Services and appoint committee chairs.

“I want to thank the CoC board members for giving me the honor of chairing this important committee,” said Baca said in a statement. “Homelessness is a major issue that requires all of our partners coming together to tackle this problem. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make a significant impact and provide much needed support to people experiencing homelessness.”

Pastor Jessica Alexander, executive director of Operation Grace, an organization that provides shelter, housing and support to the homeless community, was the previous board chair.

“We want to thank Pastor Jessica for her quality leadership and dedication to addressing homelessness,” Baca said. “We are grateful for all that the CoC Board achieved during her tenure.”

The board supports projects that include the county’s annual Point-In-Time Count, which provides a snapshot of the local homeless population. Data from counts enable officials to track progress toward reducing homelessness and ensure resources are going where they are most needed, according to the county. The annual count is the primary gauge for securing federal and state grant funding to assist unhoused individuals or people at risk of becoming homeless.

The board also supports the yearly Homeless Summit, which assembles county supervisors, city leaders, homeless service providers, county officials and youth advocates for a discourse on the best ways to address homelessness and to highlight successes achieved in the previous year, according to the county statement.

Securing housing grants and strengthening partnerships to improve the delivery of supportive services is another key function of the board.

More information on the CoC Board and its meeting schedule is at online sbchp.sbcounty.gov.

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