Friends of the Mission Awarded $12.5M to Relocate Walter’s House Residential Treatment Program

Friends of the Mission received notification of $12.5 million in state funding for the relocation and expansion of Walter's House residential substance use treatment program. The new location will be at the East Beamer Way campus, 1901 E. Beamer Street in Woodland. The funding will be delivered through the Department of Health Care Services' (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). Friends of the Mission is a Non-Profit Organization based in Woodland that provides affordable housing for individuals, families and youth who are in need. The unhoused population in Yolo County is a focus and types of affordable housing include emergency, transitional, supportive and permanent housing projects and programs.

Walter's House is currently located in central Woodland. The move to the East Beamer Way campus is the third phase in the project and will provide for an increase in the number of beds, from 44 to 60. Phase one of the East Beamer Way campus, a 100-bed emergency shelter, opened in January of 2021 and phase two, 61 permanent supportive housing units will open later this summer. Once phase three is completed in 2023 the East Beamer Way campus will provide temporary and permanent housing for 170 people, and substance use treatment for 60 people.

"This development project for Walter's House at East Beamer Way will serve more people in Yolo County with much needed treatment care in a residential setting and support the expansion of services with our county, city and nonprofit partners," said Janet Ruggiero, Friends of the Mission board member.

Friends of the Mission is a Non-Profit Organization based in Woodland that provides affordable housing for individuals, families and youth who are in need. People who are homeless in Yolo County is a focus, and the types of affordable housing include emergency, transitional, supportive and permanent housing projects and programs.

This is the third of six rounds of $2.2 billion in BHCIP funding from the state of California for fiscal year 2021-22. The funding is for the construction, acquisition, and expansion of behavioral health facilities and community-based care options, as well as investments in mobile crisis infrastructure. Funds are to be used for facility capacity expansion. BHCIP is part of a broader commitment by the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS) to improve the state's behavioral health and long-term care continuum infrastructure.

"This is an incredible project with multiple partners that will help our community address one of its biggest needs and biggest priorities, which is the increased access to residential substance use treatment for Yolo County residents," said Ian Evans, Adult and Aging Branch Director at Yolo County Health & Human Services, and also serves as the county's Alcohol and Drug Administrator. "Fourth & Hope, who operates Walter's House, has always been a great partner with Health and Human Services and we are all so excited for what this funding will mean in terms of increasing access to care for our community."

The City of Woodland has played a key role in providing the land on which to build the new treatment center and is a dedicated project supporter. City leadership recognizes that people struggling with homelessness often face many overlapping issues, such as disability, substance use, lack of employment, and more. In response, Woodland has prioritized diverse responses to this persistent crisis, including personal follow-up with unhoused individuals, affordable housing production, and the game-changing collocated services at the East Beamer Way campus.

"Transformative projects like East Beamer Way happen through partnerships, and we are fortunate to work with a committed group of private, nonprofit, and government funders," said Ken Hiatt, Woodland City Manager. "The City of Woodland is committed to evidence-based solutions, and we know that on-site services paired with diverse housing options lead to better outcomes for the most vulnerable unhoused individuals."

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