Arcata is eyeing several large projects such as a new behavioral health center at Mad River Community Hospital, but can’t afford it on its own and seeks federal funding. A community development block grant could help fund a number of city pet projects — including the triage center, homeownership assistance and housing rehabilitation, removing Arcata House Partnership homeless shelters, shoreline revetment near Jolly Giant Creek to address sea level rise and several others — though requests to support homeless services aren’t eligible this year because of the city’s technical assistance grant for the Valley West Neighborhood Center. “We were not anticipating it (the grant cycle) coming forward, and haven’t done a lot of the legwork that we typically do for these and so we are working with a couple of our community partners, in particular on a multifamily rehab project .
.. and then on a behavioral health center with Mad River hospital in the county, kind of being spearheaded by (Department of Health and Human Services Director) Connie Stewart and others,” Arcata Community Development Director David Loya said.
Applications close on Dec. 30 and public service and planning activities are awarded competitively, while housing and economic development programs are doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. The council briefly discussed the issue at a meeting on Wednesday, where Councilmember Alex Stillman threw her support behind the triage center at Mad River Hos.
