An effort to bring dozens of permanent supportive housing units to the growing East Beamer Way campus took another step forward this week.

The move came during Tuesday’s Woodland City Council meeting, where council members voted to adopt a resolution authorizing Friends of the Mission to begin installing the units. The units are modular buildings designed to house those experiencing homelessness at the project site, which is located at the northwest corner of East Beamer Street and County Road 102.

Specifically, the council’s adoption allowed the project to comply with the terms from the lender that Friends of the Mission has lined up to help finance the first 10 units, Communications Manager Spencer Bowen explained.

“Because Friends of the Mission doesn’t currently own the land, the City Council needs to formally approve this action to get the ball rolling,” Bowen stated.

And the council did just that, adopting the resolution under its consent calendar with no discussion.

Ownership of the site will transfer from the city to Friends of the Mission after the site infrastructure project is complete and the property is annexed to the city, according to the staff report.

Once completed, the $3.1 million project will include 61 units of permanent supportive housing and a small community center. This new development will be adjacent to the East Beamer Way campus, which already completed construction on a $2.3 million, 6,500-square-foot shelter facility. The permanent supportive housing units will be added to the grounds, representing the next step out of homelessness for residents.

The project as a whole consists of a collaboration between the city of Woodland, Yolo County, Friends of the Mission, Fourth & Hope and Woodland Opportunity Village, according to a city report. Members from each group have been working on the project’s development since late 2018.

The funding for this phase of the project comes from a few different sources, including $1,482,000 from the Homeless Housing Fund; $325,972 from the City’s Partnership HealthPlan grant; and $1,353,356 in funds that will be provided by Friends of the Mission.

Bowen also indicated the city is seeking further funding from Project Homekey, which is a statewide effort to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, according to the State of California website.

Project Homekey is an expansion of Project Roomkey, which in Yolo County led to the housing of dozens of homeless individuals in local hotels and motels. This was an effort to help combat the spread of the coronavirus when the pandemic first began over a year ago.

It’s estimated that there are 29.4 Yolo County residents who are dealing with homelessness for every 10,000 residents countywide.

In Woodland, that number is higher — 39.4 homeless residents for every 10,000, according to the most recent count, which was completed in January 2019.

The count, which is conducted on one night every two years, was supposed to happen in January of 2021 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The county plans on doing a full count in January of 2022.