Board of Supervisors give Measure Z Funding to Eureka and Fortuna to combat drugs and homelessness

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today approved contracts with the cities of Fortuna and Eureka regarding Measure Z allocations. The contracts describe in detail the actions to be carried out by the agencies receiving funds from Measure Z, the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in November. Three other Measure Z contracts were approved in August.

The City of Fortuna’s allocation of $125,000 will fund a full-time police officer assigned to the Humboldt County Drug Task force. The task force is a multi-jurisdictional group that has been in existence for more than 20 years. It is comprised of local law enforcement agencies that dedicate staff to combat mid- to major-level narcotic offenders in all jurisdictional boundaries of the county.

The City of Eureka’s Measure Z application for $400,000 included a portion for homeless support services. The city will receive $242,200 for two police officers to work with the county’s Mobile Intervention and Services Team (MIST), which is a collaboration between the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). The MIST team works specifically with people who are homeless and need help stabilizing their mental illness and securing services and assistance they need to avoid further problems.

Per request of the City of Eureka, the remaining funds meant to fulfill the objectives described in the city’s application ($157,800) will be transferred to DHHS, which administers housing-related programs and should have the ability to quickly secure homeless support services like rental housing and alcohol and drug services. Specifically, the funds will provide the following services:
• $30,160 for permanent supportive housing, which will provide rental subsidies at 70 percent, while the client pays 30 percent;
• $82,640 for alcohol and drug residential treatment, which will provide a 30-day treatment program and three to seven days of detoxification services;
• $45,000 for rapid re-housing, which typically provides $1,000 per household for security and utility deposits, and some periodic rental support.

In an effort to clearly show how each agency is spending Measure Z funds, the outside agencies will submit quarterly reports and itemized invoices to the county. These materials will be made available on the county’s website athumboldtgov.org/MeasureZ.