Supervisor Solis presents $2M grant to El Monte for interim housing

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis on Wednesday awarded $2 million in grant funding for two interim housing sites in El Monte that aim to reduce homelessness.

The funds from the First District Community Grants Program will allow the city to support operations and services at the Hilda Solis Iris House, formerly the Budget Inn at 10038 Valley Blvd., and the Hilda Solis Rose Court, formerly the M Motel at 10024 Valley Blvd.

“Jurisdictions across the First District have played a critical role in bolstering our homeless services system – including the City of El Monte,” Solis said in a statement. “While some communities continue to push back against offering our most vulnerable a chance, the City of El Monte has been a leading partner in our fight to solve homelessness. To that end, I am proud to show my gratitude by providing the City of El Monte with $2 million to support operations and services at their two Homekey sites.”

El Monte City Manager Alma Martinez said in a statement, “The City of El Monte is grateful to Supervisor Solis for this much-needed investment. As the leading city in the San Gabriel Valley moving forward initiatives to shelter our unhoused, receiving this funding is a testament to our resolve in addressing the homelessness crisis.”

Last year, Solis joined El Monte city officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Hilda Solis Iris House. The city oversaw the repurposing of the two-story, 40-unit former motel into interim housing funded by a $4.1 million Homekey Round 1 grant from the state, city officials said. The facility prioritizes housing for 18- to 24-year-old “transition-aged youth” who are currently or formerly in foster care and/or impacted by the probation system.

The city bought the M Motel with a $10.3 million Homekey Round 1 grant and $7.5 million from LA County after Solis’ advocacy helped El Monte cover a budget gap, according to the city. The Hilda Solis Rose Court is expected to open in January and serve people the county engages via Pathway Home and other encampment-clearing programs. The facility will provide temporary housing during its first five years, and in year six it will become permanent supportive housing.

The Homekey program has provided money to municipal governments to develop a wide variety of housing types, including hotels, motels, hostels, single-family homes and multifamily apartments, adult residential facilities and manufactured housing. Homekey funding has also enabled the conversion of commercial buildings and other existing structures to serve people who are unhoused or at-risk of becoming homeless.

This latest funding is the most recent in a series of grants to nonprofit organizations and schools in Solis’ district, according to the supervisor’s office. The Community Grant Program, which Solis started in 2014, helps develop and support services for district residents that include arts, environmental justice, health, housing, immigration and education.