Council approves $150,000 amendment for Executive Inn bridge-housing lease as providers push for more Homekey funding
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Summary
The Antioch City Council voted unanimously to add $150,000 to a master lease for interim housing at the Executive Inn, a technical fix to ongoing Encampment Resolution Fund operations. Service providers and residents urged the city to pair that funding with county and state Homekey dollars and to keep supporting local provider Basecamp.
The Antioch City Council on Aug. 12 approved a $150,000 amendment to a master lease with Red Room LLC to continue operating an interim housing program at the Executive Inn, increasing the contract to about $1.95 million.
City Manager Scott said the amendment addresses an oversight in the initial Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) award and covers a facilitation fee needed to operate the hotel-based bridge housing. "This is an 18-month program," Scott said, describing the action as a technical fix to keep rooms available while the city continues to apply for additional funding rounds.
The vote mattered to residents and service providers who spoke at the meeting. Don Friess, founder of Basecamp, described a five‑year lease the provider holds at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds and urged the council to continue funding the nonprofit’s work to keep people off the streets. "We have established a good partnership and long term commitment with the fairgrounds," Friess said.
Amanda, Basecamp’s manager (who submitted a written statement read to the council), said the program gave her family stability after homelessness and asked the council to "continue supporting Basecamp Housing so more families can find the same hope and fresh start." Public commenter Andrew Becker urged the council to pair the ERF money with county and state Homekey funding to pursue a purchase option or additional rounds of Homekey to secure longer-term housing.
City staff said the Executive Inn program will begin housing people from an encampment near Devpar Court starting Aug. 15 and that team partners including CORE and the city’s public‑safety and community‑resources staff will move 5 rooms per day into the program. Staff said most people at the site have accepted offers of help and that the program will use harm‑reduction and motivational interviewing to stabilize tenants and pursue permanent supportive housing when possible.
Council members also discussed wider strategies to leverage ERF, CDBG and possible Homekey awards to increase capacity without using general‑fund dollars. Several council members urged staff to bring back options for pairing local ERF allocations with available state Homekey discretionary funds.
The council approved the lease amendment by a 5‑0 vote.
The council also discussed—and then voted to keep—the bridge housing site’s established public name. Councilmembers voted unanimously to retain "Opportunity Village" as the program name rather than adopt a new title.
The Executive Inn lease amendment will allow existing operations to continue while staff pursues further state and county funding opportunities; a ribbon‑cutting for the site was scheduled for the following day.
