A coalition of city, county, state, and nonprofit organizations focused on tackling homelessness today announced that sixty newly completed permanent supportive housing units are fully occupied and improving life for people experiencing homelessness in Woodland, California. 

These units represent a key piece of the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus Project, an innovative development that co-locates different types of shelter and service components to address homelessness and help vulnerable residents stay safe, healthy, and ultimately achieve housing stability.  

Fabricated locally by Woodland’s own Cutting Edge Modular, and opened at the end of 2022, these “tiny homes” provide dignified shelter while those in need work to improve their circumstances. “Living in the tiny homes has gotten me back on track in my life,” says permanent supportive housing resident Sabrina Truelove. “Living here allows me to love myself more deeply while I apply for employment within the neighborhood.” 

The units come fully furnished along with support from on-site staff and regular case management from project partners Fourth & Hope, Yolo County, and its service partner Hope Cooperative. Furthermore, evidence suggests that permanent supportive housing is one of the most effective interventions to reduce homelessness. A recent randomized trial from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative demonstrated that permanent supportive housing helps chronically unhoused individuals get housed and stay housed much more effectively than comparable interventions.

At full buildout, the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus will provide temporary and permanent housing for 170 people and substance use treatment capacity for 60 people. The facilities will cluster around a shared green, a garden, and a community and health center. Project partner Fourth & Hope operates the 100-person emergency shelter and will operate the forthcoming 60-bed Walter’s House treatment program, a facility that will break ground in 2023. 

Project partner Friends of the Mission, a non-profit organization based in Woodland that develops affordable housing and shelters for individuals, families, and youth in need, played a crucial role in the site’s development. In addition, the City of Woodland provided the necessary land for the project and prioritizes diverse, evidence-based responses to homelessness throughout town. 

Resources from a wide range of committed partners helped make this project possible. Public support came from the City of Woodland, Yolo County, the State of California’s Homekey program, and the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). Community funders include Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC), Dignity Health, the Sutter Foundation, and more. 

For additional information about the project, please reach out to City of Woodland Communication and Strategic Policies Manager Spencer Bowen at spencer.bowen@cityofwoodland.org.

Quotes:

• Gary Sandy, Chair of the Yolo County Housing Commission: “This project focuses on providing homeless services within a specialized housing community designed to stabilize and address individual homeless needs. Healthcare, shelter services and employment will all be available to tenants. It represents a major cooperative and collaborative effort between numerous governmental and non-profit agencies in our battle to eliminate homelessness.”
• Vicky Fernandez, City of Woodland Mayor: “I am proud of the collaboration between the City of Woodland, Yolo County, the state of California, the Friends of the Mission and all private and non-profit agencies that have made this project a reality. We have invested in the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus because we believe in the opportunity it will provide those in need. We are indebted to those who dedicated countless hours to help this vision become a reality for our community of unhoused residents. I hope that we are “the light in all the darkness” for those struggling with life’s challenges and that we are providing a safe and healthy place for them to call home.
• Gena Bravo, President and CEO of Woodland Memorial Hospital: “Dignity Health Woodland Memorial Hospital, through our Homeless Health Initiative (HHI), is grateful to have contributed funding to the development of the East Beamer Campus. We have a long-standing commitment to collaboration and serving our community members who are experiencing homelessness. It’s amazing to see what a group of mission-oriented organizations and people can achieve together. I know that this program will have a lasting impact on the health and vibrancy of those served and our community.”
• Doug Zeck, Executive Director of Fourth & Hope: “It wasn’t that long ago I stood in an empty field envisioning Fourth & Hope’s future. I thought if we could bring homeless services together in one place, we could change many lives. Three years later, I stand in the same field surrounded by our 100-bed emergency shelter and a permanent supportive housing community home to 75 individuals - and just beyond that, I see the groundbreaking site for Walter’s House. This hub of hope is built by the collaboration and support of this community and agency partners. It has changed the trajectory of our neighbors experiencing homelessness while providing a model for a homeless service campus.”