Homelessness Symposium Set In Coachella Valley, Public Invited

The following is a Jan. 30, 2024, news release from Riverside County's Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez:

INDIO, CA — Projects, partnerships, investments and innovative strategies will be the focus of a symposium Thursday that will report on efforts taking place by Riverside County and Coachella Valley cities to build housing and address homelessness.

The Fourth District Homeless Symposium, organized by the Riverside County Housing and Workforce Solutions Department, will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, February 1, at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, located at 47470 Van Buren Street, Indio, CA 92201.

Community members and media are welcome to attend this informative event with presentations by Riverside County, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, several local cities and a roundtable discussion.

“Having moved to conducting the homelessness point-in-time count once every two years, we are using this time to really take a step back and think through where we can get better,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “This symposium will show the investments that have been done and partnerships in cities, and report on progress in our county’s Homeless Action Plan. This is going to be informative and also an interactive assessment of our efforts and solution-focused symposium.”

The program will run from 9 a.m. to noon, opening with remarks by Supervisor Perez, followed by a presentation by the Riverside County Housing and Workforce Solutions Department on the Homeless Action Plan, reporting on how many people have been assisted and where we are headed.

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments will discuss the CV 200 program. Three cities: Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and Palm Desert will report on specific initiatives addressing homelessness. The event will also feature a roundtable discussion, with questions for each presenter on successes, challenges and efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing.

A hosted lunch will be provided for all attendees. RSVPs are requested via https://forms.gle/kgYBGP1bxPbTH7Bi6