Nevada City, CA – Nevada County and three co-applicants have been awarded a $10 million grant from the state to upgrade Veterans Halls in Grass Valley and Nevada City and enhance services for seniors and residents in need.
The five-year Community Resilience Centers Implementation Grant was awarded by the California Strategic Growth Council. The County is sharing the funding with three co-applicants: Gold Country Senior Services, Interfaith Food Ministries, and Aging & Disability Resource Connections. The project was one of just nine that were funded out of 74 applicants statewide.
The bulk of the grant – $8.4 million- will pay for much needed repairs to the two veterans halls. “Our veterans’ halls in western county have served our communities for almost a century already,” said Nevada County Board of Supervisors Chair Hardy Bullock. “We will use this funding to ensure that these halls have the infrastructure to continue doing so for another 100 years, and that key community partners that serve our most vulnerable residents are also supported as we face increasing climate-related disasters and extreme heat. This is truly a legacy project.”
Bullock added, “I appreciate so much the resources we have in place that made this happen, specifically our staff grant lead Amy Cobden and the contracted grant writing firms we have in place.”
The money will pay for energy efficient building upgrades, extensive plumbing improvements, parking lot repairs, and the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that will provide clean air during smoky days. An elevator will be installed in the Grass Valley Veterans Hall to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both facilities will have asbestos remediation and new commercial kitchens to facilitate preparation of meals on shelter days. They are also getting one snowplow.
Gold Country Senior Services will receive $600,000 for staff and supplies for its programs. This includes offering programs in collaboration with the County’s Office of Emergency Services to ensure older adults have the information needed to manage emergency situations. “We will be providing cooking classes, helping older adults build their comfort with technology, providing adult learning programs focused on healthy aging and fostering engagement with the community, and providing information and assistance with volunteering and work opportunities,” said Leslie Lovejoy, Gold Country Senior Services’ executive director.
Interfaith Food Ministries will receive $516,900 for staff and supplies. Some of the money will be used to purchase a second, larger freezer. The new 225-square-foot freezer will be more than double the size of its current freezer. “Expanded freezer capacity means rescued food can be preserved longer until the next food distribution day,” said Phil Alonso, Interfaith Food Ministries executive director.
The money will also support Interfaith Ministries’ expanded food rescue program in response to the implementation of Senate Bill 1383, which aims to divert food/organic waste from landfills.
Alonso called the grant a huge win for the whole county. “Donations to non-profits are trending down, making this type of grant funding and collaborative partnership critical to having a resilient community, especially during times of emergencies,” he said.
Finally, Aging and Disability Resource Connections (ADRC) will receive $100,000 to implement its Aging in Place Playbook over the next four years. ADRC is a collaboration between FREED (a nonprofit that promotes independence and self-determination for those with disabilities), Agency on Aging Area 4, Nevada County and other partner organizations. Some highlights of the playbook are investigating the development of a volunteer training program, promoting and developing alternative housing options like co-housing, tiny homes and accessory dwelling units, and expanding adult day care programs.
“We’ve worked together for the past two years with diverse stakeholders and ample community input to develop a strategic plan for improving aging and disability services in Nevada County,” said Carly Pacheco, FREED executive director. “We are excited to continue this collaborative work with so many community partners and make a difference in improving the lives of all Nevada County residents.”
The Community Resiliency Center Program was created to provide “funding…for the construction or retrofit of facilities to serve as community resilience centers that mitigate the public health impacts of extreme heat and other emergency situations exacerbated by climate change.” The program provides funding for new construction and upgrades of neighborhood- level resilience centers to provide shelter and resources during climate and other emergencies, as well as funding for year-round services and ongoing programming that build overall community resilience, and campus amenities that support usage of Community Resilience Center facilities, such as transportation options and community gardens.