Berkeley Weekly Update 1/9/24

City Receives Grant for Permanent Supportive Housing

The Golden Bear Inn was converted into 43 units of permanent supportive housing thanks in part to Homekey funding.

The State has released the third round of Homekey Funds, with Berkeley receiving $14.1 million to create 43 units of permanent supportive housing. The University Inn, formerly the Rodeway Inn, was converted from a motel to an emergency shelter in 2020 through Project Roomkey during the pandemic. Current residents at the shelter who qualify as extremely and very low income will be offered to lease in place, and the development team led by Housing Consortium of the East Bay and Memar Properties, Inc. are coordinating with stakeholders to ensure necessary support for the transition from a shelter to housing. These funds, combined with $8.5 million from Measure U1, will be used for purchasing the building and the required renovation, including a new communal space and on-site services.

This is the second project in Berkeley to be awarded with Homekey Funds. In 2022, Berkeley was awarded $16.2 million to convert the Golden Bear Inn into 43 units of permanent supportive housing. Statewide, Homekey has funded 14,652 homes in over 240 projects.

Civic Arts Grant Applications Open

This year’s Civic Arts Grant Applications are now open, which has been expanded to include two new categories. Below are details on each grant category, including guidelines, deadlines, and a link to a webinar to learn more about eligibility, program requirements, review criteria, and more.

Arts Programs (New)

Guidelines
Webinar 1: January 17, 11am
Webinar 2: January 17, 5:30pm
Application Deadline: March 13, 11:59pm

Capital Projects (New)

Guidelines
Webinar: January 19, 11am
Application Deadline: February 21, 11:59pm

Community Festivals

Guidelines
Webinar: January 12, 11am
Application Deadline: March 6, 11:59pm

Individual Artist Projects

Guidelines
Webinar: January 10, 5:30pm
Application Deadline: February 28, 11:59pm

To learn more, including details on each category and timelines, click here.

HARD HATS Ordinance Goes into Effect

The City Council adopted the HARD HATS Ordinance last year.

On January 1st, the Helping Achieve Responsible Development with Healthcare and Apprenticeship Training Standards (HARD HATS) Ordinance became law. The Ordinance requires apprenticeship programs and healthcare coverage for developments of at least 50,000 square feet in Berkeley. Currently, California faces labor shortage among the construction workforce. The basis for this Ordinance is the lack of apprenticeship programs and much needed benefits, such as healthcare.

This proposal will help meet the City’s General Plan goals on housing production by reducing construction delays on affordable housing due to a lack of skilled workers, in addition to providing adequate healthcare to employees in a job that has higher rates of injuries compared to other industries (one out of five insurance claims for a significant injury involves a construction worker, despite making up one out of 25 jobs in California). Advancing apprenticeship programs and training will also improve safety and worker retention.

Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund

The 18th cycle of the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund has launched, which will provide around $315,000 in grants to projects and programs that establish new or support existing partnerships between UC Berkeley and the Berkeley community to improve the quality of life for Berkeley residents. The Fund seeks partnerships and collaborations that are designed to match the university’s expertise and service with community wisdom and leadership. Eligibility is limited to projects and programs that have at least one community partner and one UC Berkeley partner.

Applications are due February 2, 2024, with awardees announced in May. For more details, click here.

13th Annual MLK Breakfast Celebration

This Monday, January 15, on Martin Luther King Jr Day, join the Berkeley community for the 13th annual Berkeley MLK Breakfast Celebration. The virtual event will take place from 9am-10:30am (webinar connection begins at 8:45am). The event will feature a diverse range of speakers and performances that relate to this year’s theme of “Embracing Unity”. The annual Berkeley MLK Breakfast Celebration, cosponsored by the City of Berkeley, is a way for our community to come together in a joyful, moving and meaningful way. Click here to RSVP and for more details.

Volunteer for the 2024 Point in Time Count

The biennial countywide Point in Time Count is conducted by EveryOne Home.

On January 25, from 5am-10am, the biennial Point in Time Count for both sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations in Alameda County will take place. Hundreds of volunteers are needed in order to ensure that the count is done effectively. The survey, conducted by EveryOne Home, will help identify the needs and challenges of the unhoused community and improve policy decisions to address homelessness. For more information and to sign up to volunteer, click here.

The last count took place in 2022, after a one-year delay due to the pandemic. The results of that count showed that between 2019-2022, the unhoused population in Berkeley dropped by 5%, while it rose in Alameda County by 22%.