The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale celebrates groundbreaking for Dream Village

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The groundbreaking ceremony for Dream Village was held Thursday, Oct. 26, It will be located at 38626 9th Street East in Palmdale. [Contributed image]
PALMDALE – A groundbreaking ceremony held recently at Advancing Communities Together (ACT) marked the official start of a tiny home project that will create interim housing for homeless individuals, the first of its kind in Palmdale.

The city of Palmdale provided a $781,820 grant using American Rescue Plan Act funds to ACT to develop the Dream Village, a 20-unit crisis interim complex that will provide temporary housing for unhoused adults in a safe and supportive environment. The grant will be used to complete the infrastructure needed for the complex and purchase Pallet shelter modular units.

“Our goal is to facilitate a safe place for those in crisis to rest with dignity, purpose, and a solid foundation to begin their transition from unhoused to productive community members,” said Mayor Laura Bettencourt, who was joined by Councilmembers Austin Bishop and Eric Ohlsen for the groundbreaking ceremony. “The Dream Village is a win-win all the way around.”

When completed, the Dream Village will include community engagement teams; wrap-around, housing navigation and health and wellness services; case management; family reunification; and workforce development programs to help residents achieve their goals towards stability. It will be located at 38626 9th Street East.

“ACT believes in and is committed to creating opportunities and impactful life pathways for residents of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley,” said ACT CEO Rossie D. Cherry. “This includes developing and providing pathways to stable and permanent affordable housing and workforce development for the unhoused, youth and families. Stable, permanent housing and workforce development is vital for underserved and unhoused individuals because it offers them the opportunity to improve their economic status, enhances their opportunities for gaining employable skills that lead to mortgage-paying careers, reduces housing instability, and contributes to overall community development and public safety.”

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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Filed Under: Featured, Palmdale

38 comments for "Palmdale celebrates groundbreaking for Dream Village"

  3. Palmdale needs to repeal Measure AV. seems we now have 10 million to give to Lancaster for a event center at the fairgrounds and now to use to do the County of Los Angeles job at homelessness services. Im afraid our elected officials have no clue to the area of responsibility of an elected official representing a city. Too much money going to everywhere but the City of Palmdale with this new sales tax.

      • Are you bored with the corruption of Fern Street? No bid contracts, missing money after closing the homeless shelter, millions wasted on stupid projects like LEAPS and Ecolution that only line the pockets of Raymond’s contributors? Or do you like high crime, crappy roads, pandhandlers, the blight of Avenue I? Maybe you think Communist Chinese birth tourism is a good thing, or wasting tax dollars in losing lawsuits when the mayor declares war on Section 8? The Fern Street Mafia thrives on people being uninterested, bored and so apathetic that they don’t vote. This is why we are in such a mess.

      • Corruption is anything but boring. Insider deals, no bid contracts. They got to Shepos. Wait till they get to Fern Street. It will be fun to see how the $10 million dollars for the Eye in the Sky did nothing but train a former sheriff’s captain’s son how to fly.

          • Wait till the FBI opens the books on the various Gilly land deals. What’s happening at the landfill should be an interesting find. The books on LEAPS are likely ripe with grift. In fact they should change the name of Lancaster to Griftville………………..

          • I don’t think the residents are aware of what has changed at the Palmdale landfill. The buffer zone has been changed and the effect on existing homes should be explained.

          • Maybe the FBI should talk to Marv and the owners of the land at the landfill. What harm could that do?

          • You are aware that talking to Marvin means you’re gonna talk to the city manager Rhonda Perez who had the authority to modify the landfill plan without public hearings so she thinks. The buffer is there to protect the residents homes.

  5. WE SHOULD ALL MOVE INTO GOVERNMENT TINY HOUSES –

    SLEEP IN TINY BEDS –

    POOP AND PEE-PEE IN TINY POTTIES –

    EAT TINY APPROVED GOVERNMENT MEALS –

    AFTER ALL –

    IT’S ONLY FAIR FOR EVERYONE THAT WAY –

    ***

  6. How many people has this act organization actually helped? What was the outcome of that help?

    • 20 tiny homes at the cost of $5,000 each. Meanwhile, $500,0000 a year for the CEO of this “non profit” corp.

  7. I’ve worked hard for 45 years and now it seems as if I’m supposed to just die or disappear. I’m effected by COVID and I’ve been homeless going on 3 years no. It seems most of the shelters or housing wants you to be an alcoholic or abused or a drug addict and don’t forget mental. We really need someone to help us navigate our way through all this mess.

    • I agree . I’ve been homeless since 2015. And got no help even from Hope of the valley.. in van nys.. and pacoima shelter everytime i get a case worker they quit and leave me dry

  8. I work for a prominent non- profit community based housing program in the Palmdale/ Lancaster area. We all know that resources are scares out in the AV. In addition, it sad to see that the county has sparingly dispersed vouchers to certain agencies to govern when people are un housed and need housing immediately. Last, it’s totally ridiculous that Palmdale/ Lancaster has all this land out here and the area is struggling to find a area in the AV area to set up tiny houses for the un housed. What’s really going on? It shouldn’t be this difficult for the city/county to address this problem. It appears, that if there isn’t a profit associated with the investment then there isn’t rally an urgency.

  10. Wowee… 2150 homeless in the Lancaster/Palmdale area and we sposed to clap our hands that you may provide interim services to 20 of them… Gee you guys really did your part…

    • Deport all homeless drug addicts back to their state of origin and charge their mayors to bus them or fly them back home.

  12. The Antelope Valley needs a shelter between Palmdale and Lancaster to house the homeless. In the meantime, Lancaster should turn the community center on Yucca (formerly a shelter) back into a shelter. We do not need the downtown Lancaster library to be used as a bathroom for the homeless nor do we need human beings suffering like now. Act Now! Housing people on 60th W is a joke as is Keningston Village by the veterans home. People need help immediately!

    • You can thank Wrecks and Marve the Larve for refusing to use the County facility on I for a 700 bed shelter and instead giving a no bid contract to their pal for a 120 bed facility that charges rent. It’s all about following the money in Lancaster. Let’s hope the FBI is watching.

      • FBI could have written a book by now. These Lancaster officials are connected and they have the money to fight back so don’t go holding your breath, unfortunately.

        • While true, eventually the piper comes calling for payment. The city of Bell used to have the most corrupt government in California, and the same things were said there and just as true. But the reckoning came. It will come for Wrecks and his crew also.

          • Tim, what if Wrecks has control over the local FBI like he has control over the judges, city council, AVTA, AVC, Palmdale city council, Palmdale Water District, AVEK, Lancaster sheriff’s station, Wilk, Carrillo, and Garcia? Will anything ever come to light? There is a ton of corruption.

          • We can only hope Tim. Wrecks owns the local judges, sheriff’s and every elected board in the AV. He most likely owns the FBI too. We need someone from outside the AV to get the job done. There’s too much insider dealing for anyone to come forward.

        • You guys crapping on Lancaster for the 2 shelters they have, and the former one that operated for decades, but keep quiet about Palmdale & Santa Clarita for not having shelters at all

          • Lancaster closed the only real shelter they had. Wrecks got the million bucks from the county and then closed it. Kensington charges money to stay there. The small shelter on I is run by the county. It would have been a real shelter with 700 beds but Wrecks and Marv said no and gave a no bid contract to their boy Scottie. It’s pretty obvious by his actions that Wrecks hates the homeless.

      • I’m confused wth thet think a 20 apt building there gonna make impossible for any one poor or homeless to move into is gonna do… The Audacity to be even post in this anywhere they should be ashamed of themselves…

    • Kensington is “referral only” either by LAHSA or the hospital, which might give you a referral if you get “jacked” and are homeless. Ironically, if you get jacked in the valley central way area and get a hospital referral to Kensington, you will be living with the crew that jacked you. They rob people then run through the desert between the Mcdonalds and I and 30th, then act they are checking into Kensington for the night, and this gives them a great way to rob people and hide from the cops. The staff has no idea. The shelter on 60th is ok but the employees are very “ghetto”, the food is terrible and they don’t feed you enough when they DO feed you something decent, so bring lots of cash so you can live off the fully stocked vending machines. (no outside food or drink allowed due to decreased vending machine profits, oops I mean there could be roaches if they allowed that) showers are freezing, no wifi so bring a data plan, your phone is going to be your entertainment while you are there. On the plus side, outlets are plentiful by the beds due to the building formerly being a hospital.

      • Ehrlich and the Lancaster good old boys are laughing all the way to the bank. They should have completely built out the county facility with 700 beds for about the same $ it cost for Kensington. All that nonsense going on near Valley Central Way, which is a Lancaster dump, would not happen way out on 60th.

    • I agree, we need help and WE NEED IT NOW!!! Like yesterday, my name is Brucelee Aguilar and I am with Paving the Way Foundation in Lancaster.
      I am a Career Coach, however, I’ve worked in Housing Navigation before and it’s the worst feeling when we can’t assist families with children even when I refer them to Housing Organizations, a lot of times they don’t get the help or there’s always a barrier.

    • Totally agree! We need new leadership. We need an investigation, we need to speak out against our city government, let’s make some noise!

      • Call the Lancaster FBI office and tell them your story. (661) 729-7000. If enough people talk we can end the madness.