Funds committed for Kings Beach mental health facility

Placer County Board of Supervisors last week committed $500,000 in state funding to support the Community House of Kings Beach, a proposed drop-in center for mental health and support services.

The funds will help finance the purchase and renovation of a former motel and residence at 265 Bear St. in Kings Beach by the Community House of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation. The foundation has completed its purchase of the site and has started renovation work.

The property will be turned into a community center that will house the project’s three main partners: Tahoe Safe Alliance, North Tahoe Family Resource Center and Project MANA. The center also will provide desks for other service providers, four individual counseling rooms, a children’s therapy area and designated space for family team meetings.

It is estimated the community center will serve about 3,000 people annually.

The $500,000 will come from funds Placer County receives from the state under the California Mental Health Services Act. In a plan approved by the state in 2009, Placer County identified a community center committed to providing mental health and other services at North Lake Tahoe as a proposed use of MHSA funds earmarked for capital facility and technology projects.