Riverside Community Shelter Village

Overview

In March 2020, 30 interim shelter units (60 beds total) in the City of Riverside, CA opened for people experiencing homelessness.

Context:

Action was taken to address the imminent threat to unsheltered population’s health and safety: “for the preservation of life, health, and property” (per City Council memo below).
City serves as a “regional shelter center” due to lack of shelters in neighboring cities
The lack of interim bed space capacity in the region: 439 people, only 180 beds (source).
Martin vs. Boise case – Forces community to build adequate shelter before enforcing anti-camping laws. Case review.

Mission: Pilot new, scalable way to shelter people experiencing homelessness in the City of Riverside.

Gallery

Site

Owner: City-owned land

Previous Use: Paved parking lot.

Use Arrangement: Master leased to operator via Emergency Housing Operations Agreement

Site Selection Criteria Considerations: Site was city-owned parking lot adjacent to the Hulen Homeless Service Campus, a one-stop multi-service campus of supportive services and emergency shelter facilities. See notes below for additional detail.

Funding

Upfront Development*	$540k	$300k site work (estimate)$240k for the shelter units. HHAP* funding directly to City of Riverside via State’s “The 13 Large Cities” allocations – see notes below
Cost Per Shelter*	$18k
Operating Costs*	$1.2 million	Allocated for one year of operations only. HHAP* funding directly to City of Riverside via State’s “The 13 Large Cities” allocations – see notes below
Cost Per Shelter*	$40k/year	$109/shelter/night or $55/bed/night (each shelter sleeps 1-2 persons)

*approximations

Development

Lead Deal Coordinator		City of Riverside
Construction Management		City of Riverside General Services Department
Shelter Vendor / Manufacturer		Pallet Shelter
On-Site Assembly		Pallet Shelter

Operations

Lead Operator:

Showimage Housing Innovation Collaborative

Operator	CityNet is a is a team of nonprofit professionals who work to end street-level homelessness in an area through the coordination of community efforts & activities. Based in Anaheim, California and Long Beach, California.https://www.citynet.org/
Agreement	1-year contract with City of Riverside – via a Temporary Emergency Housing Operation Agreement
Staffing	15 staff members for 30 shelter units (60 beds) Shelter Manager Program Supervisor Logistic Coordinators Case Managers Security Janitorial Back-end Admin
Services Provided	Case Management, Logistics, Operations
Cost	~$109/shelter/night or $55/bed/night in operating costs
Operating Expenses	On-Site Personnel Maintenance Client Services, meals FFE, materials, supplies 10% indirect general expenses