California awards HHAP Round 6 homelessness funds to Humboldt County

Humboldt County is set to receive more than $3.7 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 6, money earmarked for operating expenses for permanent housing, rental subsidies, supportive services and landlord incentives such as security deposits, holding fees and repair funds. Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services legislative and policy manager Nancy Starck said the money is not yet tied to a project and reiterated the county’s next step: “A request for proposals (RFP) will be issued and a local panel will determine how this funding is allocated to local housing and homelessness organizations that apply,” she wrote via email.

The March 2, 2026 HCD press release announced $159.3 million in HHAP Round 6 funding distributed among 20 regions, listing Alameda, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno and Madera, Humboldt, Imperial, Kings and Tulare, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey and San Benito, Napa, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tehama and Ventura. HCD framed the awards as the result of a competitive process and said, “Collectively, the grantees in these 20 regions are dedicating 83 percent of their HHAP Round 6 budgets to permanent and interim housing.”

Humboldt’s outlined eligible uses align with state priorities: HCD materials specify that county awards may be used for operating expenses for permanent housing, including Homekey projects, rental subsidies, supportive services and landlord incentives such as security deposits, holding fees and funding for needed repairs. Local officials will now move from award notification to procurement; Starck’s office will issue the RFP and a local panel will evaluate applications from Humboldt housing and homelessness organizations before funds are released.

The March 2 HHAP announcement is one component of a larger state homelessness package. HCD noted that $578.9 million in Round 6 grants has been committed to 23 regions so far this year, including an earlier $419 million awarded to the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco regions, with roughly $181 million still to be allocated in coming weeks. The governor’s related announcements on March 2 included $131.8 million in Homekey awards to create 443 homes with on-site managers and a separate $291 million allocation to expand supportive housing and behavioral health services statewide, actions tied in state messaging to a reported 9 percent decline in unsheltered homelessness.

Policy context underscores the scale and constraints of the program: HHAP began in 2019-20 and has received successive one-time allocations; policy research from Jbay shows rounds have ranged from $300 million to $1 billion, with HHAP funded at $1 billion in each of the past four years. Jbay data also indicate HHAP funding was just over halfway spent, 53 percent, as of July 31, 2025, and that 50,431 youth have been served through HHAP-funded programs statewide.

HCD’s declaration that the 20 grantees passed a “rigorous review” sets expectations for measurable outputs, while Humboldt’s staff-led RFP process will determine which local projects convert the state award into operating subsidies, landlord incentives and supportive services on the ground in Humboldt County.