Nevada County Supervisors Approve Property Purchase for Sutton Way Wellness Center
Expansion of navigation and homelessness services
For Immediate Release:
Nevada City, Calif. - Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved the property purchase at their Tuesday, August 23rd Board meeting, which will be converted into the Sutton Way Wellness Center. The Wellness Center will provide services to Nevada County residents, including residents of Brunswick Commons and community members who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. The property is located at 1101-1105 Sutton Way in Grass Valley and is contiguous to the newly completed Brunswick Commons affordable housing development.
"It's exciting to see the navigation center come together as people are beginning to move into Brunswick Commons next week," said District 1 Supervisor Heidi Hall. "We identified this need several years ago, but it takes time to bring the funding and location together. Having the site conveniently located next to Brunswick Commons and our non-profit partners and being funded entirely by grant funding is a huge win for our community and connecting people with critical resources."
The Sutton Way Wellness Center will serve as a navigation center providing a centralized location to access key services. The Wellness Center will offer a variety of basic needs and support services through County staff and non-profit providers, including laundry, mail, food, legal support, housing navigation, behavioral health treatment, and substance use disorder treatment. The facility will focus on meeting participants’ basic needs and create opportunities for outreach and engagement in a less formal way than standard behavioral health outpatient office settings. Other Wellness Center services will include peer support services, group meetings, and classes. Additionally, there will be office space for other critical supportive services such as Social Services, including Medi-Cal and CalFRESH enrollment assistance, Veteran Services, Public Health, Probation, and Public Defender.
“This funding is a great opportunity to expand behavioral health services and supports to the community in a more accessible and centralized location,” said Phebe Bell, Director of Behavioral Health at Nevada County.
A navigation center was originally planned with the Brunswick Commons development, but construction and operating costs, as well as funding challenges, delayed the construction. Over the past four years, the County has been actively pursuing other navigation models, property acquisition opportunities, and funding sources to fill the gap. A recent award of $1,999,975 from the Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Grant Program (BHCIP) made the purchase of this property possible, with funding for renovation coming from other grant funding that was previously secured, including Whole Person Care and Community Development Block Grant Technical Assistance funding. The initial remodel of the building will include showers, laundry, and open space for daily navigation support and wellness services.
“As a community, we need to do everything we can to meet the needs of all of our community residents,” says Mike Dent, Director of Housing and Community Services. “Expanding capacity and bringing consistent services closer to those in need is a big step forward.”
Nevada County Board of Supervisors made addressing homelessness a top priority in 2017. Since then, County staff, partners, and stakeholders, and the regional Continuum of Care (CoC) have made significant strides in coordinating a broad-based response to homelessness. The Sutton Way Wellness Center will add substantial capacity to the services available to homeless individuals or those at risk of homelessness and will serve the Brunswick Commons residents and surrounding community.
Better Together Nevada County
Better Together Nevada County is an overall strategy spearheaded by County of Nevada to support innovative and meaningful collaboration with key stakeholders, while educating the public, and inviting them to be part of the solution. Learn more about the County’s collaborative approach to homelessness by visiting bettertogethernevadacounty.org. Community Members wishing to learn more about volunteer opportunities to support non-profit organizations working on homelessness can visit the Better Together Volunteer Hub at ConnectingPoint.org/BetterTogether.
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Media Contact:
Mike Dent
Director of Housing and Community Services and Child Support, Nevada County
Phone: (530) 265-1410
Mike.dent@co.nevada.ca.us