Baldwin Park receives $1.25M grant to create family bridge homeless housing 

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 16, the Baldwin Park City Council accepted a $1.25 million grant from the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust (SGVRHT) to build more homeless housing. 

SGVRHT approved Baldwin Park’s grant application just two weeks after the city opened Esperanza Villa, a 25-bed tiny home village for unhoused individuals, in November 2021.

“This new funding is another milestone in the City of Baldwin Park’s efforts to uplift our unhoused neighbors and bring them out of homelessness,” Baldwin Park Mayor Emmanuel J. Estrada said. “I’m grateful to the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust for awarding Baldwin Park this grant and supporting our efforts to keep Baldwin Park residents sheltered.”

The grant will finance housing development at 13167 Garvey Ave. for families that are at risk of becoming or currently homeless. The construction will take place over two phases. In the first, the city will build tiny homes on the city-owned, 0.63-acre property that will open around the time the new school year starts this fall. Then, in the second phase, the city will rehabilitate three buildings totaling 5,212 square feet into shelters that will soon provide up to 50 beds. Baldwin Park purchased the property last fall.

The city will also begin searching for an operations vendor to manage the future housing facilities, and work with partner agencies to provide family counseling, food assistance, medical and mental health assessments, job placements and more to future tenants. The property will also continue to operate as a safe parking site for individuals living in cars.