Homelessness Issue Receives Financial Infusion

PALM SPRINGS — To help eliminate homelessness across the Coachella Valley, the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation Board on June 25 approved a $1 million grant for homeless efforts.

The District and Foundation Board also approved and a $50,000 matching fund to provide shelter to address homelessness during hot summer nights.

The seven-figure grant was awarded for the Homelessness Initiative Collective Fund to support homeless services in the valley. The District and Foundation Board approved a similar action in 2017 when it created a $2 million Homelessness Initiative Collective Fund. A majority of that money has been used as a part of a match for $100,000 with contributing valley cities.

In a move to affect immediate change for individuals experiencing in the western end of the valley, the Board also voted to set up a matching opportunity for its Summer Homeless Survival Fund. The fund was launched on June 14 as an easily accessible way for the public to donate to establishing and operating three emergency homeless shelters as an overnight refuge from life-threatening summer temperatures in Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs. The District and Foundation will match donations, dollar for dollar, of up to $50,000.

The summer shelters are the result of a combined effort by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments; Riverside County; the cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs; and the Desert Healthcare Foundation. The shelters will be managed by CVAG with staff from the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio.

Learn more about the Summer Homeless Survival Fund by clicking here.

About the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation

The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to achieve optimal health at all stages of life for all District residents. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral healthcare, housing, food and transportation resources.