Harder Announces Over $11 Million Federal Investments to Combat Homelessness in Stanislaus, San Joaquin Counties

Modesto, CA – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) today announced a total federal investment of $11,579,704 to help Central Valley communities combat homelessness during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The funds were authorized in the CARES Act and are being distributed through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Homeless Emergency Solutions Grant program. Funding includes $4,326,957 for San Joaquin County, $3,891,785 for Stanislaus County, and $3,360,962 specifically for the City of Modesto. Funding will be used to protect the homeless population and social services staff from the virus.

"We have a homelessness emergency in our community – and we have to get people off the streets and get them access to the healthcare services they need," said Rep. Harder. "Our shelters and local organizations are doing a great job protecting their clients, but they're in dire need of additional funding. These investments will go a long way to protecting the homeless population, social services staff, and the wider community."

People experiencing homelessness are at heightened risk of contracting the Coronavirus and other infectious diseases. The funding made available through the CARES Act will be used to take more proactive steps to protect their health and wellbeing and stop the transmission of the disease to the wider public. Eligible uses of the funds include buying cleaning supplies, protective equipment, additional staff, and furnishings that allow better social distancing at shelters. More information on the program and its application is available here.

Representative Harder is a leader in efforts to combat homelessness. Earlier this year, he released a comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness and introduced the Homelessness Emergency Declaration Act. One of his first acts as a member of Congress was to cosponsor the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act, which would direct $750 million in federal investments to support local governments' efforts to address the root causes of homelessness, including mental illness and housing insecurity.

Last year, Rep. Harder announced a $2.5 million investment through HUD to expand affordable housing for low- and moderate-income people in Stanislaus County. In December, he announced a $150,000 investment specifically aimed at helping homeless veterans.