Campus

Victorville breaks ground on Wellness Center Campus

By Rene Ray De La Cruz

CITY OF VICTORVILLE MAYOR DEBRA JONES could not contain her excitement as city officials and local dignitaries attended the groundbreaking of the Wellness Center Campus near Eva Dell Park.

Considered a first of its kind in San Bernardino County, the 170-bed shelter and center will provide support for homeless individuals and those at risk of becoming homeless.

“We are proud to be among the cities taking action to address the issue of homelessness head-on,” said Jones, during the groundbreaking event on April 20.

Jones added that by increasing access to shelter, health care, and support services, the city will reduce homelessness and improve the overall quality of life for the community.

As the largest homeless shelter in the High Desert, the facility will combine a low-barrier emergency shelter, recuperative care facility, medical clinic, interim housing, and wraparound support services to help homeless individuals to gain stability.

The 25,920 square feet project will include modular buildings with 110 separate units available for the homeless and to serve as administration and support.

Center staff will provide substance abuse counseling, job training and placement, pet care services and assistance in finding housing.

A community garden, recreational areas and a dog kennel are also planned

City officials said barring any delays, the $28 million state Homekey grant-funded center should be completed by Dec. 15, 2022, the deadline for the grant.

Resident Joy Hampton took to Facebook to tell city officials, “Absolutely awesome keep up the amazing work, we are proud of you and your accomplishments, and keeping your word. Showing our City our children that government can work, people can come together and help each other. God richly bless you all.” The idea for the Wellness Center came to the council after the Homelessness Solutions Task Force first proposed it in 2019. A Point-in-Time Count data for 2020 showed 451 homeless people living in Victorville. It was the second-highest homeless population count in the county for a consecutive year. Two years ago, the city received a $16.8 million funding reservation from the first round of California’s Homekey program, designed to expand housing for homeless individuals.

City officials discovered that they could not accept the grant as it would have required the facility to be designed and built by the end of 2020. Victorville applied for the same program and was awarded a grant of $28 million in December 2021. The terms included eight months to spend capital construction funds and build the center by Dec. 15, 2022. During a March meeting with four council members, Councilwoman Blanca Gomez voted against awarding an initial construction contract for the project. The construction of the center was grounded since the contract’s approval required a unanimous vote by the City Council. The councilwoman disapproved of the bidding process used to pick the contract vetted by the government entity Sourcewell. City staff chose an optional grant approval process that did not include a unanimous vote from the council. During a special meeting, the City Council approved the contract and awarded a $4.8 million contract to Angeles Contractor, which will begin the first phase of construction. Reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at HighDesertPeople@gmail.com or on Twitter @HighDesertPeeps

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