100-Day Challenge to Address Homelessness
On December 5th, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a 100-Day Challenge Initiative to address homelessness across California.
In December Governor Gavin Newsom announced a 100-Day Challenge Initiative to address homelessness across California. The Challenge calls on cities and counties to take immediate action in efforts to address homelessness by participating in a 100-Day Challenge cohort.
The Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) has brought on the Rapid Results Institute to assist in facilitating these 100-Day Challenges with several cohorts of communities in the upcoming months. With the support of a Results Institute coach, each of these jurisdictions will rapidly assess how things are working, set an ambitious goal regarding the number of individuals they will house in 100 days, identify necessary changes from their current processes and approaches to achieve the goal, and then implement their 100-Day Challenge and lock in the lessons learned to drive lasting change.
Joined by three other communities across California, Stanislaus County is participating in an ambitious effort to accelerate prevention and solutions to end homelessness for individuals in Project Roomkey. The communities comprising the first cohort to launch 100-Day Challenges as a part of this initiative include:
- Alameda County
- Riverside County
- Los Angeles County
- Stanislaus County
This first cohort, which launched in May, 2020, during the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, will largely be focused on ensuring that the most vulnerable populations sheltered during this time will exit into permanent housing. Priority will be given to Project Roomkey participants. This first-in-nation initiative to secure hotel and motel rooms for those experiencing homelessness has proven an essential solution to sheltering many unsheltered residents.
Stanislaus County has launched an ambitious 100-Day Challenge goal:
In 100 days, 100 Individuals experiencing homelessness that are 65 and older and/or individuals experiencing homelessness with underlying medical conditions will successfully exit Project Roomkey into safe and stable housing (which can include Permanent Supportive Housing) and landlord engaged units with a focus on veterans, individuals dealing with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorder, and individuals with disabilities.
Individuals, organizations and communities interested in following the 100-Day Challenge progress can follow Stanislaus Partners in Housing on Facebook and search for challenge posts using the hashtag #ChangeIn100Days on social media.
