{"id":3363,"date":"2026-06-30T07:37:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3363"},"modified":"2026-06-30T07:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:37:36","slug":"antioch-to-decide-on-homekey-grant-in-july-in-effort-to-help-citys-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3363","title":{"rendered":"Antioch to decide on Homekey grant in July in effort to help city’s homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANTIOCH \u2014 Antioch next month will decide on whether to accept a $34.9 million state grant intended to help some of the city\u2019s unhoused population as concerns over a budget deficit and future funding linger.<\/p>\n

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The City Council was expected to hold a study session Monday with stakeholders to address \u201cunanswered\u201d questions about a Homekey+ project at the Comfort Inn hotel on Mahogany Way before deciding whether to accept or decline funding.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the council approved a resolution to submit the Homekey+ application in partnership with nonprofit California Supportive Housing to convert the hotel into 85 supportive housing units with wraparound services for those experiencing homelessness \u2013 the hotel recently defaulted on $15 million in real estate loans.<\/p>\n

Advocates said funding for the program will provide essential resources to help the unhoused, while opponents said committing to it would further burden the city financially.<\/p>\n

If approved, the city would have to initially pay $750,000 and contribute up to $1.2 million annually for operations for about 15 years.<\/p>\n

Mayor Ron Bernal opposed submitting the application at the time, noting the city was facing budgetary issues.<\/p>\n

Mayor Pro Tem Donald Freitas said there was misinformation surrounding the project and questioned the financial risks should the city decide to back out.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach and every one of us has a legal fiduciary responsibility. What are the facts? What is the truth? What is our financial exposure? This didn\u2019t come up tonight. This has been long term, I\u2019ve asked,\u201d said Freitas during a recent City Council meeting. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think my questions are out of line. I will not support something without knowing the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

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California\u2019s Housing and Community Development Department, which administers the Homekey+ program, announced in May the city could receive the $34.9 million in funding.<\/p>\n

Antioch had not formally accepted the grant, as the city had not executed the Homekey+ agreement with the department, according to a staff report.<\/p>\n

Nichole Latrese Gardner, founder of Facing Homelessness in Antioch, said the City Council already knew the city was facing a budget shortfall when they decided to apply for the Homekey+ grant.<\/p>\n

She said rejecting funding now would make it challenging for Antioch to secure future grants.<\/p>\n

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Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker said she had yet to see any other alternatives to resolve homelessness issues in Antioch.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe biggest challenge I\u2019m having is that we have been waiting 18 months for the mayor to come back with an ad hoc committee to talk about solutions to homelessness, and it still has not come back to this council,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Torres-Walker also questioned if efforts had been made to secure regional support to reduce the city\u2019s financial burden.<\/p>\n

She said she had personally reached out to mayors in Brentwood, Pittsburg, and Oakley and was told that no one from Antioch had contacted them to discuss regional efforts to reduce homelessness.<\/p>\n

Antioch, said Torres-Walker, already spends millions on code enforcement contracts to clear encampments around the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what is being asked is to not reject it but also table this discussion to the next council meeting to give those who actually want to do the work an opportunity to figure out how to relieve the burden off the general fund,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd if that\u2019s not what you want to do, then just reject it today. What I will say is that I have no problem, and I\u2019ve said this to the council, I have no problem renting vans and dropping people off in front of your homes if we don\u2019t get a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilmember Monica Wilson said it would be a \u201chuge mistake\u201d not to invest in Homekey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to come up with solutions. Mr. Mayor, I haven\u2019t heard a solution from you to be honest,\u201d said Wilson.<\/p>\n

Bernal said Antioch could not afford to take on the long-term financial obligations amid ongoing budget challenges.<\/p>\n

The city has spent 18 months working to reduce a projected $54 million, two-year deficit and has reduced its shortfall to about $4.5 million, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext year, it goes back up to $14.5 million. That\u2019s without cost of living, getting our contracts up to date; it\u2019s probably closer to \u2026\u00a0 $18 million deficit,\u201d said Bernal. \u201cThat\u2019s a million and a half dollars a month. We are going negative in the city. We cannot afford or sustain that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antioch has seen a slight reduction in homelessness. According to Contra Costa County Point-In-Time Count data, the city had about 413 people who were experiencing homelessness in 2024. That number went down to 251 this year.<\/p>\n

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Antioch next month will decide on whether to accept a $34.9 million state grant intended to help some of the city’s unhoused population as concerns over a budget deficit and future funding linger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAntioch to decide on Homekey grant in July in effort to help city’s homeless - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3363\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Antioch to decide on Homekey grant in July in effort to help city’s homeless - 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