Supportive housing initiatives help serve those on the margins

The Providence Northern California Community Health Investment team along with leaders from Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center break ground for supportive housing in Napa.

To provide safe, affordable housing to underserved communities across Northern California, Providence ministries have bolstered their outreach to those at risk of or experiencing homelessness through supportive housing projects.

With much work done in 2022, the Providence Mother Bernard House in Eureka is slated to open in late 2023 and will feature 42 permanent supportive housing units and six recuperative care units for individuals experiencing homelessness. The facility will also include wrap-around supportive services.

Pictured here are the Studios at Montero in Petaluma, supportive housing funded by Providence Northern California Community Health Investment.

Named after Mother Bernard Gosselin, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, the facility will focus on providing services that build independent living skills and connect people with community-based health care, treatment and employment services.

“With the homeless rate in Humboldt County roughly three times the state average, the Mother Bernard House is really about Providence’s commitment to supporting the unmet needs of the community,” said Dana Codron, senior director of Community Health Investment. “Through this supportive housing initiative, as well as others throughout Northern California, we are passionate about investing in projects that provide whole-person care to our community.”

In Sonoma County, similar efforts were underway in 2022 to provide supportive housing to area residents. Providence Rohnert Park House, expected to open in 2025, will include 76 permanent units for seniors with a documented history of long-term homelessness and income at or below 30% of the area’s median income. These housing units were aided by a grant from Congress.

Additionally, in the last three years, Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa County has directed $2.2 million toward three supportive housing developments across the Valley. The projects will total more than 180 housing units, some of which will be for affordable housing.