Southwest RivCo's Homeless Camps To Be Rousted In April, Supes Say

TEMECULA, CA — Twelve miles of Southwest Riverside County homeless encampments along the Murrieta Creek will be cleaned up this spring, officials say. The project is slated to begin in April. The Board of Supervisors approved the use of funds toward the project in the March 11 meeting.

The area in question includes parts of unincorporated Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Wildomar, according to the county. The agreement between the California Department of Housing and Community Development would begin in April of 2025, and funds would be available through May of 2027, according to the MOU.

A total of $12.6 million was secured for Riverside County, and that funding will provide direct housing assistance for 100 people and cover the cost of interim shelter, security deposits, move-in expenses and rents, the county said.

Those displaced from encampments will get wraparound care, thanks to the grant, in the form of case management, housing navigation, behavioral health, workforce and more, the funding will also go toward building a new multidisciplinary team of various county departments.

Documents show that the county is working with Project Touch, cities and county government and behavioral specialists to provide "immediate stabilization and long-term housing solutions for the population served by the project," the report states.

Tanya Torno, Deputy Director of Housing and Work Force Solutions, told the Press-Enterprise that the project will be "transformative."

The Inland Empire received about $34 million to clear encampments last October. Thus far, the county has relocated about 188 people from the Santa Ana Riverbed homeless community, and another 45 from San Jacinto's riverbed. Those people are now in permanent housing, according to the PE report.

"The focus will be on building reapport with residents of the Murrieta Creek, and build case plans that are centered around a person-led approach," documents say. Mental health services will be provided for homeless individuals residing within the Murrieta Creek area. Permanent housing will be sought, as well as providing move-in assistance, rental assistance, hotel vouchers, and other goods and services to help senoirs stabilize or maintain permanent housing."

Other projects underway in Riverside County include the $580 million Wellness Village in Riverside County's Meade Valley. That campus will sit on 18-acres, in hopes of establishing an all-in-one medical facility that will provide "essential care" for Riverside County residents of all ages. Slated to open in 2026, the Wellness Village will feature five buildings spanning 450,000 square feet, including a youth and family care center, a residential substance abuse treatment facility, a children's eating disorder outpatient clinic, urgent care, dental offices, a pharmacy, and a mental disorders treatment clinic.

Additionally, there will be green space for meditation and relaxation, sports courts, a marketplace, a community meeting space, and a boarding facility where pets can be temporarily housed while their owners access services.
Officials say the funds from the statewide program will ensure the relocated homeless will receive access to financial, educational, and work-related training programs.

Related:

Wellness Village Campus Now Under Construction In RivCo

Riverside Outlaws Homeless Encampments Near Schools, Parks