March 31, 2023 County Update

County Public Works crews, who have been working non-stop since Monday morning, have been servicing County-maintained public roads and have cleared most of them in the majority of the county’s snow-affected communities. They expect to make all County-maintained public roads passable, even those in the toughest-to-serve areas, within the next 48 hours.

Public Works has more than 100 pieces of snow equipment deployed in the mountains. Crews will continue to service and re-service roads during and after the storm. Residents should be aware that a snowplow not being visible on your street does not mean County crews are not out in full force. Plowing all county thoroughfares and roads takes time, and priority is given to main arteries. They will arrive.

“Addressing the root causes of homelessness is the most effective means of reducing the numbers of people experiencing homelessness and providing a path forward for the individuals and the community at large,” said Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman. “As a board, we are leveraging all of the resources at our disposal and thinking outside the box by linking housing and other services to give people who are struggling a foundation of stability. This approach enables people to break through the challenges they are facing and get back on their feet and off the streets.”

The Homeless Initiatives Spending Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 includes $15 million from the County general fund for a new County Housing Development Grant to support community-based homeless housing projects.

“San Bernardino County is taking a positive step to address homelessness with the Board of Supervisors action to approve funding for transitional housing and recuperative care,” said Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. “This will begin the necessary steps to increase much needed capacity for the unsheltered population while providing the necessary services. We look forward to our continued efforts on working with the community to meet the challenges of homelessness.”

“San Bernardino County is leading the way in addressing homelessness from a regional approach,” said Second District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez. “Today’s investment will create opportunity from housing and wrap-around services throughout our county and strengthen coordination with cities and nonprofit organizations.”

The spending plan allocates $72.7 million in available federal, state and county resources toward six strategic initiatives that support the county’s Homeless Strategic Framework and the 2022 Homeless Strategic Action Plan by addressing the root causes of homelessness and increasing the supply of housing opportunities for at-risk populations:  The six initiatives are:

• The Pacific Village Phase II expansion ($29.7 million) is one of several collective impact approaches to address homelessness in the county. Each of the treatment and housing typologies will provide individuals with semi-private or private housing rather than congregate dormitory beds. Private housing provides a stable, dignified living situation and can be tailored to fit the specialized needs of individuals who require high levels of social and behavioral health support needed to accept and maintain housing. It is anticipated that Pacific Village will increase the number of individuals connected with housing and supportive services by 698 to approximately 726 annually.
• The Kern Street Adult Residential Facility expansion ($2.5 million) will convert an existing adult residential facility to a 30- bed facility that provides rooms, meals, supervision, distribution of medicine, and personal care assistance to individuals with chronic behavioral health issues to those who are unable to live by themselves.
• At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the County initiated agreements under the State funded Project Roomkey program with numerous hotels and motels to house homeless individuals on a temporary basis. This funding will end on March 31, and there is a need to prevent this population returning to homelessness due to age and high medical risk factors. The Project Roomkey Continuance initiative ($4.4 million) will provide for the continued temporary housing support of 80 to 90 beds and the necessary components of housing, food, laundry services and security for an additional year as individuals transition from temporary to permanent housing.
• The Social Work Action Group, or SWAG, performs street outreach, engagement, housing navigation and case management services to individuals and families who are homeless by addressing the whole-person care approach. SWAG works in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) team, Department of Behavioral Health, Department of Aging and Adult Services and community-based providers to provide services. In partnership with SWAG, the County has engaged with 165 homeless individuals since December 2021, with 63 (38%) of those individuals being sheltered. A recommendation to extend the current contract with SWAG for an additional two years ($3.4 million) was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
• The County Housing Development Grant initiative will have staff explore the development of a $20 million County grant program that can be offered to third parties (primarily partner cities) to support homeless housing projects with a focus on the construction of new units that provide additional housing beds (which may include emergency shelters). The goal of this program would be to create and operate additional low-cost housing units for homeless and displaced individuals. This program is in the conceptual stage and specific program details and budget adjustments will be brought forward for board approval at a future date.
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME-ARP Program allocated the county $12.7 million to assist with addressing the region’s housing needs and provision of homeless services. As a requirement of the agreement, the County must provide an Allocation Plan by March 31 detailing the categories the county intends to use HOME-ARP funding. A public hearing before the board on the use of these funds took place Tuesday.

LACs are one-stop shops offering expert assistance with insurance claims, rebuilding permits, taxes, and a host of other challenges created by the historic late February, early March blizzard.

Services available at the LAC include building and safety, insurance information, assistance for seniors, public health, tax and property resources, help for veterans, snow removal and reimbursement, advice on hiring contractors, behavioral health, help for small businesses, transitional assistance, employment assistance, legal services, general disaster aid, and more.

A forecasted storm prompted officials to postpone a previously scheduled Wrightwood LAC, which was slated for March 28 and 29.

More than 2,300 mountain residents from nearly 1,000 households received help from County, state, and volunteer organizations gathered at County-organized LACs in Crestline and Running Springs on March 25 and 26.

“Everybody’s been really helpful and kind,” said Running Springs resident Corinne Jagt. “Having this one big place where you can come and get help rather than trying to sift through whatever you’re getting on the internet and Facebook has really been tremendous.” 

More than 1,700 mountain residents also received food, water, and household supplies at the two Local Assistance Centers.

To qualify, businesses must have been in operation prior to Feb. 27 and have a brick-and-mortar location in the affected San Bernardino Mountains that is used by employees and customers. Funds are intended to help businesses defray overhead costs such as rent and utilities.

“The recent snowstorm had devastating impacts for many businesses in the mountains,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe, whose Third District includes all of the snow-impacted communities in the San Bernardino Mountains. “These grants will help them to recover financially as they work to reopen to serve the community. I will continue working hard to obtain additional resources for our mountain businesses and residents.”

Many mountain businesses, like Steven Ayala, owner and coach at Apex Boxing and Fitness in Twin Peaks, were cut off from their customers or unable to work in their stores, shops and offices for weeks because they were blocked by snow or isolated by unsafe roads. The grants approved by the Board today will help many of those businesses stay in business, keep mountain residents employed and contribute to the area’s economic recovery.

The application process is expected to be available in the next couple of weeks.  In order to stay updated, residents are encouraged to sign up for Supervisor Rowe’s official newsletter at bosd3.sbcounty.gov and follow her and the County’s social media channels.

This event is another opportunity to celebrate and support the Countywide Vision’s literacy campaign, Vision2Read as well as San Bernardino County’s newest Opportunity Campaign. Visitors should bring their library card as every 15 items checked out during the event earns visitors an opportunity drawing ticket for a chance to win awesome prizes. All activities are free and open to all ages.

The Fontana Branch Library is located at 8437 Sierra Ave in Fontana.

The San Bernardino County Library System is a dynamic network of 32 branch libraries that serves a diverse population over a vast geographic area. The County library system strives to provide equal access to information, technology, programs, and services for all people who call San Bernardino County home.

The library plays a key role in the achievement of the Countywide Vision, by contributing to educational, cultural, and historical development of our county community.

For more information on the San Bernardino County library system, please visit http://www.sbclib.org/ or call (909) 387-2220.

Egg hunts and photos with the Easter bunny are free with park admission. Park admission for Easter Sunday is $10 per vehicle.

Calico Ghost Town Easter Celebration

Looking for an all-day family-fun experience in an 1800s setting? Head over to Calico Ghost Town for an Easter “Eggtravaganza” with our famous egg hunts, gunfighter shows, games, activities, live entertainment and a meet and greet with the Easter bunny.

Start the day at the Calico House Restaurant for all you can eat pancake breakfast* from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for $15.99 per person. Breakfast includes eggs and bacon. *Applies to unlimited pancakes only. Does not include unlimited eggs and/or bacon.

Calico Ghost Town is located at 36600 Ghost Town Road in Yermo. Admission prices are $15 for adults (12 and older), $10 for youth (ages 3-11), and children under 3 years old are free. Pets are welcome.

For the Easter schedule of events and more details on the event, visit parks.sbcounty.gov/calico-easter-celebration. For camping information and/or reservations, visit www.sbcountyparks.com.

Competitive runners, walkers, families and friends trekked the 3.1-mile course through the streets of Colton on Saturday, March 25. This free event supported exercise while promoting the services that San Bernardino County and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center offer to the community.

Finishing first across the finish line was Joshua Estrada, 31, of Highland who had a recorded time of 17:50 for the 3.1 mile course. 

Second place went to Oscar Hernandez, 15, of San Bernardino, who crossed the finish line at 18:20 followed by Manuel Perez, 17, of Rialto who clocked his finish four seconds later at 18:24.

Complete race results are published online.