Forty-five community organizations and municipalities participating in California’s Homekey program are eligible to tap into $46 million in philanthropic support through Enterprise Community Partners.

Through Homekey, these 45 grantees received a combined $266 million from California’s federal Covid-19 relief and general funds to acquire hotels, motels, apartments and other buildings and created more than 2,300 interim or permanent, long-term homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

So far, Lake County has received $480,000 of BlueShield money through Enterprise Community Partners' Homekey grants.

The additional philanthropic support will help ensure these properties serve residents well into the future.

With funding from Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield California, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and CommonSpirit Health, Enterprise will make available technical assistance and grant operational support funds to the 45 organizations throughout the real estate development process via Enterprise Advisors, its mission-based consultancy, as well as its Northern California office.

“Gov. Newsom and California’s Department of Housing and Community Development have accomplished an incredible feat by unlocking the resources needed to support homeless individuals and families across the state. But bricks and mortar are just the beginning,” said Christopher Kizzie, vice president, Enterprise Advisors. “This effort will help turn Homekey housing units into stable homes for the long term, ensuring owners and developers can maintain their buildings and residents have access to services and resources that enable lasting success.”

“Thanks to Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield of California, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and CommonSpirit Health, who came together to fund this resource, Enterprise will be there for our grantees every step of the way,” added Heather Hood, vice president and Northern California market leader, Enterprise.

Homekey grantees will receive both project-based and program-based technical assistance. Project-based technical assistance will offer targeted support for the unique challenges and opportunities that arise for a specific grantee or project, while program-based technical assistance will provide scaled support in the form of webinars, quick guides, case studies and peer learning opportunities to address needs that commonly arise across multiple grantees or projects. All technical assistance will incorporate a multitude of topics and sectors, from financing and operations to resident and community services.

“With the acquisition funding, philanthropic contributions and technical assistance, Homekey residents and developers are receiving the vital support needed for immediate and long-term success,” said Gustavo Velasquez, director, HCD. “Through this collective partnership that is responding to an urgent need, we’ve created an effective model going forward. With Governor Newsom’s proposed $750 million budget, we will be able to continue scaling the swift and meaningful impact that we're making in the lives of our fellow Californians who are experiencing homelessness.”