The Supportive Community Land Alliance (SHCLA) is proud to announce the launch of its 2023 Micro-Grant Program to provide grants of up to $5,000 to 16 board and care operators serving Alameda County. The funding will be used to offset expenses from deferred maintenance and services that improve the quality of life for low-income residents with severe mental health issues living in these facilities. This program is part of SHCLA’s core mission to support operators of facilities that provide much-needed services to those with experiences of homelessness and living with mental health needs.

In 2022 alone, Alameda County lost 87 beds at community care facilities that serve low-income residents, many living with mental health challenges and other disabilities that require a higher level of care than traditional permanent supportive housing can provide. With nowhere else to go upon discharge, homeless hospital patients are five times more likely than other patients to be admitted to an in-patient unit and stay on average four days longer, at an average cost of $2,000 to $4,000 a day.

About SHCLA

SHCLA, a nonprofit community land trust based in Oakland, CA, and supported by Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency, SHCLA was formed in 2021 to prevent the closure of licensed residential facilities, create new facilities, and lead the introduction of a family homeownership model for parents of adult children with severe mental health issues. Board and care homes serve individuals with disabilities who require assistance with activities of daily living — grooming, preparing meals, and house cleaning. No other land trusts exist to serve this unmet need in the community. Teslim Ikharo is SHCLA’s first employee and founding executive director. He is an urban strategist, community convenor, and impact investor who views his work at SHCLA as part of an effort to “democratize beauty” by adding elements of art and design into each project. In doing so, residents and the surrounding neighborhood can reduce feelings of isolation and increase social connectedness, improving resident outcomes by addressing their social determinants of health. As a community land trust, SHLCA is an emerging nonprofit developer of affordable housing for low-income residents, removing obstacles to the creation of new, affordable housing in Alameda County. Community participants in the land trust ensure the property is forever used according to its original intent: as permanent supportive housing. As Alameda County continues to develop new and innovative solutions to house people with experience of homelessness living with mental health challenges, SHCLA is responding to the call.