California Construction News staff writer
A new grant program will fund capital improvements for licensed adult residential facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, and residential care facilities for the chronically ill across Los Angeles.
The community care expansion preservation capital projects grant program will provide a minimum of $50,000 per facility to eligible awardees.
The application portal will open Jan. 22 for six weeks, closing March 4.
Training sessions are scheduled Jan. 17 to provide a detailed overview of the program guidelines including eligibility requirements and the application timeline. Technical assistance resources will be offered to help potential applicants complete the pre-requisite process of obtaining a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) as well as an Owner Participation Agreement
For more information and to register for training or to apply during the application’s open period, visit https://www.ccecp.org.
In Los Angeles County, $55.5 million will be available to fund the program to help preserve licensed residential care facilities in need of critical repairs that may impact their licensing status, and health/safety related repairs or required upgrades.
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health will administer and implement the program on behalf of the County and will partner with Brilliant Corners, with funding received from Cedars-Sinai and administered by the California Community Foundation, to oversee the required physical needs assessments to determine grant applicants’ capital improvement needs.
“This grant funding will make it possible for many residential care facilities to remain in operation by helping them make important repairs and upgrades to their buildings,” said Los Angeles County 4th District Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Otherwise, many of these much-needed facilities could face closure and put their residents at risk of homelessness.”
Funding will be targeted to facilities that have a critical gap in their financial ability to make needed repairs or upgrades, placing the facility at risk of closure or at risk of reducing the number of beds for qualified residents. The program will also fund repairs needed to ensure facilities are compliant with licensing and health and safety standards.
“This program provides a unique opportunity to stabilize the supply of residential care sites, a critical—and often overlooked—component of the housing support continuum,” said William F. Pickel, CEO, Brilliant Corners. “This is a prime example of the importance of public/private partnerships: a unique set of stakeholders—from government, to nonprofit, to philanthropy—have designed a program to support the continuity of these vital facilities, and to ensure that operators most at need for these targeted resources are reached.”