State Agency Warns Shasta County Over Failure To Distribute Housing Funds
California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness says the county’s ongoing delays in distributing housing funds, which have affected projects across the North State, are “no longer acceptable.” The state could take back the funds.
For over a year, housing agencies in counties across the North State have been waiting to receive their share of around $4 million in state grant funds for homeless services.
The state funds are still being held by Shasta County, which received them on behalf of the NorCal Continuum of Care (CoC) over a year ago, but has still neither distributed them to the other counties in the CoC nor transferred them to the new CoC lead agency, the City of Redding.
Now the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) has issued a strongly-worded letter to Shasta County’s Health and Human Services Agency, saying the county’s delay in distributing the funds to other NorCal CoC partners “is no longer acceptable.” The NorCal CoC is a consortium of seven North State counties that works together to apply for and receives grant funding for homelessness.
The money in question involves around $4 million in Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds. The NorCal CoC applied for around $4 million in the third round of HHAP funding, while Shasta County was still its lead administrator so HHAP-3 funds were disbursed by the state to Shasta County’s accounts as the first step towards final disbursements to approved local projects in each NorCal CoC partner county. Each county awards local service providers portions of the funds in order to meet regional goals for reducing homelessness along a continuum of care.
As one of the NorCal CoC counties, Shasta County’s portion of HHAP-3 funds includes about $1 million in funds for local projects. Six nonprofits have been promised HHAP-3 funds from Shasta County. They include the Shasta Community Health Center, Lutheran Social Services, FaithWorks, Pathways to Housing, Ready for Life Host Homes, and the United Way. The projects were awarded funds by a vote of the NorCal CoC Excutive Board in May 2023, which should have triggered distribution from Shasta County. But so far none have received funds.
It’s unclear why the county has delayed distributing the funding. Over the last six months, members of both the CoC’s Executive Board and Shasta Advisory Board have repeatedly spoken up during public meetings to ask for information about the delayed funding. The county has not responded with clear accounting for the funds or information on when they might be distributed.
Cal ICH became involved in August, right after Shasta County announced it would withdraw from its role as the lead administrative agency for the CoC, in hopes of facilitating a smooth transfer of funds from the county to the City of Redding which picked up the lead administrative role in September.
But after months of failed attempts to get the county to transfer the funds, Cal ICH has now issued a demand: turn over all HHAP-3 funds over to the City of Redding within thirty days — even the money originally granted to Shasta County itself as part of the NorCal CoC.
The demand comes with a threat. If the county fails to turn over the funds, Cal ICH says it will have no other choice than to consider the “immediate recoupment of all HHAP funds.” That would include the millions of dollars distributed as part of the first two HHAP rounds as well as those from HHAP-3.
In response to a request for comment, HHSA’s Assistant Director, Christy Coleman, said the county plans to comply with Cal ICH’s request to transfer the funds within 30 days, as long as county supervisors approve.
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Shasta County has become a hell hole that has been taken over by corruption and greed and there are very few if any people in those high up positions in Shasta County that are not corrupt or dishonest. Shasta county had the money to build that huge disgustingly ugly brand new court house and they had the millions of dollars to spend on how the votes are counted yet they forget that there are citizens that are freezing to death because they have no warm place to go to, or perhaps they don’t care because they are not out in the cold starving to death. They get to go back to their large fancy houses with their cupboards full of food and their families waiting for them at the end of their work day. This is not only worrisome it is a serious issue and I’m glad finally someone stepped in to correct this issue. I’m just hoping that someone will step in and fix the rest of the corruption and put an end to the damage being caused by the corruption. If something is not done soon Shasta County will continue to get worse and they will continue on their path of destruction and eventually make Shasta county a place nobody wants to live. They need to get their priorities in order and end the corruption within the ” Justice System”,”Court system”,”CPS” and all other agencies associated with them so that the citizens can feel that they are safe and know that they have officers that really do “Serve and protect” and that the county they live in is not corrupt, unjust and that the people in charge are mature and responsible enough to fufill their duties of their job description with dignity and respect the way they are supposed to.
I totally agree with “John Doe”. The head of the HHSA Fiscal Dept. has had NO fiscal experience and cannot figure out how to read the reports that have been sent out in the past. The people she has hired have also had no fiscal experience and are just as lost. There has been a major departure of experienced employees in the past year leaving 2 people to carry the load of at least 5 plus a supervisor who just recently left. This is not a Board of Supervisors issue. A lot of this began with the decision to close down the Opportunity Center.
This is completely true. Laura Burch and Christy Coleman are interested only in promoting their friends to high paying HHSA positions regardless of their experience. It’s a shame, but I anticipate even more departures of seasoned fiscal staff as this circus continues.
Yes, it is interesting how a secretary from housing, with no supervisory or leadership experience, ended up as one of the department heads in HHSA.
I’m a spouse to a person working higher up in Shasta county HHSA. This isn’t a board issue.. there has been a lot of shady stuff amongst the higher ups in this department. Many have left there high paid positions randomly amongst many others out of nowhere. There are a lot of hush hush meetings and I’m starting to get the feeling the money has been stolen.
Thank you for sharing. If you’d like to share on or off the record with a reporter you can reach me directly at 530-276-8778. You can also contact me on Signal using that number. We’re very careful with source confidentiality.
HHSA has a process for distribution of funds. First they must form several workgroups and within the workgroups they will form committees. Within the committees will be several subcommittees to ensure effectiveness. The workgroups and committees will then need to develop mission statements through a formal process of SWOT analysis, but only after utilizing the said funds to travel to other counties that have distributed their housing funds relatively efficiently. The travel process will need to be planned through another, separate series of separate committee meetings. They will then need to send all committee, subcommittee, and workgroup members to 6 sigma green belt training. But before that, they will all need to complete white belt and yellow belt training and receive certifications through 6 Sigma. Did I mention there needs to be another subcommittee where anyone can join, but the preference is people that are “strong personality” types. The point of the strong personality types committee is to encourage collaboration but actually its just a pretend committee to keep the Karens away from other committees. Anyway, it’s complicated. I’m not sure it can be done in 30 days.
There’s no way all that could happen in 30 days. Not gonna happen. What a shame when this money gets pulled back. The BOS should have been on this instead of putting together their inflated severance packages for their Lawyer and health advisor picks.
This isn’t a board of supervisors issue. Its a HHSA issue. The current leadership, Burch and Coleman bothe previously ran housing. When they both finaggled their way into HHSA executive leadership they worked to bring housing into the HHSA, then severed the county relationship with CoC. They have a hand in the county/HHSA not releasing the documentation and accounting to the new CoC coordinator. Now that they also haven’t released the funds. Of the opinion this ppears to be mismanagement, cover-up, or lacking the necessary qualifications and skills to operate large organizations to observing eyes. Not an uncommon practice the last 2 years to fill seats with under qualified staff in executive positions. Most top positions in the county and HHSA have had to underfill with subpar leadership.
I couldn’t agree more, Mandy. I definitely feel that Burch and Coleman have something to do with this. There past and ties to housing make me question their abilities to lead at this level.
The facts show that they have much to do with this in that they’re the leaders of the department that’s failed to hand over funds. Still not clear why that’s happened though.
The entire Board of Supervisors are thieves and liars. Bethel as well as the McConnell Foundation, have the entire county in their pocket. The downtown projects are more important than the quality of life for the citizens in this area. Call a spade a spade, for-profit businesses is what they are. They are so busy turning this county into a mini San Francisco that dollar signs are all they see.
Wonder why there is a problem with homelessness? It’s terrible to witness native Shasta County residents trying to make it work and can’t find a decent priced place to live.
The influx of transplants buying up properties at hundreds of thousands of dollars less than what their homes sold for in the bay area, having the tennants ‘temporarily’ move out so renovations can be made promising their homes will be better after. The problem is they don’t get to move back in. The rents have been raised to an amount they cannot afford. The place they had called home for years no longer theirs. I’ve seen this happen over and over.
People are dropped off here or flock here for all of the great services that are provided for ‘free’ in this county. Then they are denied financial assistance with money that exists in accounts hoarded away by greedy government leaders. Grants are applied for and funds are awarded then staff try to get the job done but are unable to get past the red tape of the higher ups who hold the purse strings. You bet they are hanging on to the money. They are buying time to create more ways to pay themselves as much as they can before they are forced to spend it as it is supposed to be spent. Lo and behold it is less than the original amount of the grant that was won. I’ve seen it happen grant after grant! Non-profits my butt. It’s a feast or famine situation. Case Managers are given goals. Get a certain amount spent by a certain amount of time then suddenly can’t spend anymore. Then the word comes down another grant is in the works and spending might be able to resume. A month or two goes by, no money, homeless men, women and children out in the cold or the heat, doing the best they can, being turned away. Then suddenly, again, thousands suddenly need to be spent in a week to ten days. Now I ask why? Stalling for time, creating more ways to pay them selves. I am aware that I have repeated myself. It is because this is a repetitive process.
Fire the whole lot of them!
Supervisors and the rest of the shady agency’s higher ups. Investigate all of them. Audit everything! Insist on transparency in everything they do. Then audit the auditors. The money they are stealing is money that each and every tax payer has paid to these government agencies to do a job. WE ARE THEIR BOSSES! If any one of us performed like this at our respective jobs we would no longer be employed.
I’m angry. Making money off of vulnerable people has become a business and it is sickening. State, county and city governments fighting back and forth amongst themselves like spoiled rotten children is shameful. Our so-called benevolent leaders who’ve never gone ‘with out’ a day in their lives should be the first to step up to the plate instead of seeing less fortunate people as more opportunities to take more for profit. While they are engaged in this disgusting behavior there are real human beings suffering in this oh so great and rich state. I cry stop it! Get out of the cushioned offices you were unfortunately voted into, take a good hard look at yourselves and hope you haven’t rotted to the core! Greedy bastards!
Honestly, quite shocked at the amount of liberalism in the responses, I said, give the goddamn money back to the state! Stop taking money from Sacramento! All we wind up with is mass corruption! You people responding to this honestly think that money is going to do any good! The money from the state never is accounted for! The only thing that happens is more homelessness and more liberals moving into our county! We want none of this crap
@Jon
What are you talking about? It’s mismanagement and there is not one Democrat or liberal on the board of supervisors…
Seriously you’re trying to blame this issue on some phantom liberals from Sacramento??? Lol, I mean come on man we live in a predominantly conservative county so it’s not people on the left that are mismanaging this…
I guess the truth is a hard thing to accept when you want to believe in a certain way…
@jolly
Well you couldn’t have stated that last paragraph more emphatically…particularly when things aren’t going your way.
If Sacramento loo-loo’s are Phantoms, those apparitions are doing one hell of a job ruining our once great golden state.
That’s All LL…
@Joseph
Lol, when things aren’t going my way? What does that even mean?
I’m a fiscal conservative, bro. And I can see clear mismanagement by the board of supervisors.
Again, there’s not one liberal or Democrat on the board of supervisors. Not a single one.
But nice deflection by claiming that the mismanagement by the Shasta county board of supervisors is due to some phantom leftists.
That money has already been distributed amongst the rats . That’s why it’s not being returned
Perhaps Jones is trying to figure out how to use the funds for his new Range?
Just another reason to VOTE OUT the good ole’ boys; and yes it is in the Sups hands to make this happen, otherwise the State wouldn’t have sent such an urgent letter.
United Way has been n the forefront of homeless issues, in 14 northern counties, we’re fortunate to have the leadership located here in Redding.
Jones out, Crye out…Vote Mary Rickert and Allen Long, return Shasta County to civility and sanity.
Thank you for this well written and informative article.
This is unacceptable. Hopefully those funds will be distributed post haste. Too many people are counting on transitional housing to pull them out of homelessness. Such mismanagement is reflective of the power struggles within the county government and reliance on someone else to handle a job that simply requires common sense.
Thanks for pointing this out. I’m concerned the J.C.K. Cartel won’t do anything out of their spite for people without housing that seems to be a common trait of far-right extremists. Hope they prove me wrong.
Don’t hold your breath on this one! Perhaps the county likes the interest rate they’ve been receiving while holding onto the funds. Did anyone check this out? Another ?…why is United Way on the list of non-profits? UW has been stooping to extortion as they brow beat companies to increase donations from company employees. Somebody should figure out if UW really provides action for homelessness. You may discover there are far more worthy agencies focusing on homeless issues.
Maria Raymond, I invite you to contact me so I can update your knowledge about United Way of Northern California, its fundraising policies and practices, and its work on the homelessness issue. (Regarding homelessness, you can start here: https://www.norcalunitedway.org/homelessness).
– Larry Olmstead, President & CEO, United Way of Northern California, lolmstead@norcalunitedway.org.
I hope for all the people waiting for desperate housing, especially in this horrible cold weather, get their funds soon!!
Leave the Supervisors OUT OF IT! Do as Shasta County agreed when they became a part of the State Program! The Supes cannot modify the contract at will, they can only comply as promised or return all funds to the State of CA
Clearly Shasta County is in serious violation by not already distributing the awarded funds and is stalling to whatever purpose only the Board and County Executive know.
This is another example of illegal government repression of badly needed funds to alleviate homelessness in our Northstate communities. The County should be sued in a class action lawsuit demanding not only allocation of the funds but punishing treble damages for their misgovernment!
The BOS and specifically Kevin Crye spearheaded the stampede to get out of their role with the CoC. They knew full well (or should have known) there were funds on hand that were held in trust; they should have been turned over to the City the moment it took over the administrative role Crye shirked. Why didn’t this happen? Whose responsibility was it?
“…Coleman said the county plans to comply with Cal ICH’s request to transfer the funds within 30 days, AS LONG AS COUNTY SUPERVISORS APPROVE.” This approval aspect, which should be a totally routine matter, worries me greatly, considering the current makeup of our Board of Supervisors. It seems that so little of the majority’s time is focused on normal government functioning, while great emphasis is put on creating chaos and dysfunction.
I agree with Kris B-W statement above. To leave approval to the dysfunctional Board of Supervisors is asking for problems. The board majority bristles at anything they consider government overreach. They led the charge to reorganize and consolidate HHSA. Why haven’t those funds been turned over? They’ve had since August 2023 to take care of business but wait … I guess they prioritized all their pet projects on the agendas the last six months so no time for the people’s business……
It’s not the council causing the problem. It’s the unelected bureaucrats that the supervisors need to replace. Many of our officials are corrupt, but it’s not the ones we elected. They simply need to clean house, but replacement is not easy in this job market.
Looking for data to back this claim . . . Data always better than rumor and allegation.
I agree; it is worrisome 🤔
Precisely! And just like certifying the election it is an administrative duty to be performed. Remember what the Jones gang did/ is doing to our venerable ROV and her amazing staff taking by raking her over the coals for his own selfish agenda!!! Stay in your own GD lane!!! Stop the misgovernance and the disinformation campaigns!
Vote Jones out on March 5. He’s the lynch pin. If he goes, the whole house of cards falls.
I am curious about the Agency’s leadership. Maybe it isn’t just the BOS…
Care to detail your insinuation with anything real????
Maybe the county supervisors want the money to be giving back. Possibly finally a county is rejecting the failed homeless policies of the State of California. It is overwhelmingly evident just dumping money to these agencies is actually making homelessness worse Shasta county is tired of cleaning up and costing so much money for the problem of homeless. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen these psychotic violent meth tweakers all over the place? They are assaulting people and threatening people and making people’s lives miserable. Good people who’ve worked hard their whole lives,maybe the county feels just giving money to these agencies will continue to make it worse. Hard drugs is the problem . But I guess it’s too late that cat’s out of the bag already. Such a shame my family grew up in California in the 60s and it is just not the same place at all!!! Terrible!
Fascinating insight. Will be good to hear from supervisors about this when it comes before them.
I’d say that the possibility of embezzlement, or inappropriate allocation of resources could be making the problem worse. As it has been proven that those who experience trauma are more likely to use illegal substances. When resources that were supposed to be available to aid those who experiencing the misfortune of homeless are withheld, the outcome can be devastating to the individuals who may have been depening on those resources. Also just for arguement sake, regardless of the cause, case by case scenario exists, as homeless is not always a result of poor decision making, there are scenarios of genuine misfortune. Not each and every homeless individual is violent or under the influence of amphetamines, with that being said consider the men, women, and children in the homeless environment/community that have to endure the effects of inviduals around them who are under the influence of dangerous narcotics and exhibiting violent behavior. Consider the amount of altercations these people endure. The trauma from being in this type of environment drives many to use an array of substances marijuana, alcohol, amphetamines,opiate, opoids etc. Not any excuse but it happens, what about those who don’t use at all and are homeless? Dont they deserve access to those resources? Is it appropriate to insinuate that individuals that use shouldn’t have access to those resources?
Considering we all pay taxes and in reality it is likely that even the homeless or those who use and are homeless have paid into the tax system for a duration of their lifetime, shouldn’t they have access to assistance regardless of personal life choices? Or even importantly how many times has embezzlement/ inappropriate allocation of resources affected these individuals in the past? And many more will this problem affect before corrective action is taken?
I’m afraid that it’s gone to other projects, projects that have more meaning to them and their neighbors? But certainly don’t use it for those lowly and homeless people! (Absolutely not how I feel or think)The way that the homeless people are treated in this county is so unJust and absolutely disgusting!
But they really don’t care, or so it would seem right?
In fact it’s almost like they despise homeless people and instead of wanting to truly help them, they are harassed by the police on a regular basis, made to feel like they are nothing, just trash, and should be cleaned off the planet!
Or arrested for being homeless, and this happens here all the time! They just reword the situation and it becomes some kind of a arrestable issue!
I almost believe that they give money to the police department for bonuses ,to all the officer’s who have put away the most homeless people for the month? I’m serious, it’s as if they are trained to be cruel and heartless to the homeless? I seriously ask myself this regularly!
Is that what’s going on? That would certainly explain the cruel and unusual punishment that the homeless people receive here in Shasta county.
I only wish that all people could understand how it feels to “Not have a roof over your head, at night while your trying to get some sleep, with strangers all around you, never knowing if you are going to wake up in the morning!
Not having a warm cup of coffee to start your day, because you couldn’t find any clean drinking water and had no electricity to heat up the coffee in the first place. Or how about being too cold to ever get comfortable enough to even fall asleep?
I’m so sick and tired of hearing how these homeless people wouldn’t want to live in a safe, warm house anyhow!!!
As if they have ever personally been asked this question? People just tend to believe that all homeless are bad, lazy, dirty, stupid people who don’t deserve a home? Or they are drug addicts? Does any of that really matter? Why? They are still homeless, and that’s not going to ever change if we don’t accept them for whoever they may be, and help them anyhow!
It can be done, but people also need to remember that they are also people who have actually just lost their place to live regardless of who’s fault it is! This happens to good people and actually some pretty great people too!