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Sonoma keeps $275K in homelessness funding as Catholic Charities and Sonoma Family Meals assume larger roles
Summary
Council heard staff describe operational transitions at Unity Kitchen and Home & Safe Village: Sonoma Family Meals has taken over Unity Kitchen operations while Catholic Charities will assume lease/operations at Home & Safe Village; the FY26–27 budget holds homeless services funding at about $275,000 while partners pursue grant funding and operational changes.
City staff summarized ongoing changes to homeless services in Sonoma Valley and asked council to keep the FY26–27 allocation steady at about $275,000 while partners reconfigure operations.
Lisa Jansen, who leads community services work on homelessness coordination, told the council Sonoma Family Meals has assumed operations at the Unity Kitchen and is developing enterprise revenue streams to support training and prepared‑food enterprises. Catholic Charities has taken management of the Home & Safe Village site and is pursuing Emergency Rental and Facilities (ERF) funding and potentially purchasing the property to stabilize operations.
“We're looking at a $275,000 spend in homeless services,” Jansen said, describing continued city support for day services, case management capacity at the village, and feeding programs run by Sonoma Family Meals. The city indicated that some previous short‑term Measure O funding expired and that several county and state funded programs continue to operate in the valley (rapid rehousing, case management, supportive housing). Council members emphasized the goal of preserving the village: staff noted a loan maturity for the village in September 2027 and stressed the importance of avoiding service interruption.
Staff said they will continue to write letters of support and pursue grant opportunities with partners; no new recurring city commitments were proposed at the workshop, though staff flagged one‑time transitional needs in FY25–26 while operations shift. Council members expressed support for maintaining the current funding level and urged staff to work with county and regional partners to secure sustainable funding.
Ending: Staff will monitor partner grant outcomes and the village’s financing status and return to council if additional funding is needed before the budget hearing.
