January 7, 2025
City Council
DATE: January 7, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember McLaughlin, Vice Mayor Jimenez and
Councilmember Robinson
Subject:
City contribution to Hope Solutions to provide supportive services for the Richmond Tiny Village Farm and Garden
project.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: $300,000 from Unhoused Interventions in the Reimagining Public Safety fund. [Note:
Recommendations for use of this money began in 2021
that included $725,000 for a transitional village]
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
September 12, 2023, Richmond Police Activities League
(RPAL) Lease Amendment
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Richmond Tiny House Village Farm and Garden
Project has raised and will continue to raise significant private funds for developing this tiny youth village and is seeking a City contribution of $300,000 to help finalize its start-up costs.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
DIRECT City staff to work with Contra Costa Interfaith
Transitional Housing, Inc. (dba Hope Solutions) to
prepare a contract and any other necessary agreements
to provide supportive services for the Richmond Tiny
House Village Farm and Garden project at 175 23rd
Street for calendar year 2025 and bring these documents to the City Council for final approval by February 18,
2025 – Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin (510-620-
6636), Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez (510-620-6565), and
Councilmember Doria Robinson (510-620-6568).This
item was continued from the November 26, 2024,
meeting.
AGENDA
REPORT
January 7, 2025
DISCUSSION:
The Richmond Tiny Home Village, Farm and Garden project is a dynamic collaboration between local community organizations creating Richmond, California's first Tiny House Village.
The City Council directed staff to complete a Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) lease amendment on September 12, 2023, to allow this village to be built at 175 23rd Street. This lease amendment allows for the construction of a tiny house village with seven (7) tiny houses at the site to be inhabited by six Richmond unhoused youth and one unit for a resident manager, subject to the terms of the lease amendment. Later, another six (6) tiny houses are planned.
Tiny Village Spirt (TVS), a local community non-profit and coordinator of the project, has obtained a Temporary Use Permit for the use and been issued building permits for the project. TVS and its partners are proposing to construct this tiny house youth village as an innovative model for addressing the housing crisis, focused specifically on youth.
TVS has identified Contra Costa Interfaith Transitional Housing, Inc (dba Hope Solutions), a well-known, long-standing 501(c)(3) and supportive housing services provider in Contra Costa County, for operational management of the village. More information about Hope Solutions can be found here: https://www.hopesolutions.org/.
The following documents are attached:
● Attachment 1 Completed Signed Sublease and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between RPAL and TVS, and
● Attachment 2 Richmond Tiny House Village Supportive Services Agreement between TVS and Hope Solutions.
The young people who will be living in the village will be identified through the County’s Coordinated Entry system. Young people (currently unhoused), ages 18-24, will have the opportunity to live in the village with dignity as they transition to more permanent housing. There will be a host of programs and supportive services offered by Hope Solutions to provide for the needs of the youth, empowering them as they move forward in their lives.
The development of this Tiny Village has been moving forward, with support from the City Council, City Staff, and various volunteers throughout the community. It is on track to become an amazing and beautiful village for unhoused youth. The Village is sited right next to what will become the RPAL Farm and Garden project.
The Project has obtained buy-in from the surrounding Neighborhood Councils, as well as from RPAL, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) and many other community
January 7, 2025
organizations. TVS has previously set up a youth tiny house village in Oakland that is successfully operating. Richmond is on track to do the same.
The proposed City contribution/grant will be taken from the Reimagining Community Public Safety fund of the 2024-25 budget. The full budget amount annually provided to the Unhoused Interventions category of this fund is $1.8 million. In 2021, when the City Council approved the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force’s revised budget for alternative forms of public safety, $725,000 was earmarked for a transitional village. In addition, at the City Council’s goal-setting meetings in 2023, one of the goals included the start-up of two to three tiny villages. This small village will be a great start towards achieving this goal.
Hope Solutions will be responsible for operations and also some remaining capital costs. The breakdown of this city contribution/grant will be as follows:
Operating Funds
See Attachment 3 for a breakdown of Hope Solutions Operating Funds.
Total for Operating Funds = $197,000
Remaining capital costs
$ 73,275 for the 3-unit Restroom Trailer
$ 28,000 for the last yurt payment
$ 1,725 for Restroom Trailer deck materials
Total for remaining capital costs = $103,000
Total amount of proposed contribution/grant = $300,000
While TVS has raised and continues to raise significant funding for both operations and capital costs, having the City make a contribution will give the City an opportunity to show its commitment to what will be a beautiful village. TVS is a partner with Richmond Renaissance, our new Arts District project, which will be using the arts as place-making for our downtown area as the City focuses on re-imagining and renovating downtown both culturally and economically.
It is important to keep the work going on this village in order to have the doors of the tiny homes available for habitation by the youth on July 1, 2025.
In addition to working with community groups and neighborhoods, TVS is working with Richmond YouthWorks and RPAL youth, to bring in young people as designers and youth artists for this village. TVS has been working diligently with pro bono architects, engineers, and City staff. The Richmond Community Development Department, including Building Division, reviewed the project construction documents for compliance
January 7, 2025
with the building codes and zoning regulations and have issued a permit for construction. TVS stated they have also obtained approvals from PG&E and EBMUD for the project. All the partners on this project have given a lot of time, effort and volunteer work to bring this project into fruition.
This item is requesting that City Council direct staff to work with Hope Solutions to finalize details and come back to the City Council by February 18, 2025, with a contract and any other necessary agreements/documents for City Council approval. City staff will ensure the terms of the sublease and MOU between RPAL and TVS comport with the terms of the lease, as amended, between the City and RPAL, and address any other details regarding the proposed contribution/grant. It is requested that the City Manager assign an appropriate staff person to work on this task.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Completed Signed Sublease and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between RPAL and TVS
Attachment 2 - Richmond Tiny House Village Supportive Services Agreement between TVS and Hope Solutions
Attachment 3 - Hope Solutions Operating Funds