Riverside County Allocates $1 Million for Galilee Center Expansion Project, for a Total Contribution of $1.5 Million

MECCA – The Riverside County Board of Supervisors today approved $1 million in funding for the expansion of the Galilee Center, a vital facility in the community of Mecca that provides services to farmworker families and has been instrumental in assisting migrants in the county’s humanitarian response efforts.

Together with $500,000 dedicated to the project by Supervisor V. Manuel Perez in late June, Riverside County Supervisors have now provided $1.5 million to the Galilee Center to help build out an expansion project that will serve more community needs in the eastern Coachella Valley.

“The Galilee Center has been an oasis of hope to the eastern Coachella Valley’s farmworkers and families, and has become an even more vital and key partner, stepping up when the community has needed assistance the most,” said Supervisor Perez. “The eastern Coachella Valley will see great benefit by strengthening our community infrastructure through this expansion of the Galilee Center.”

Gloria Gomez, founder of Galilee Center, appreciates the ARPA Grant and Riverside County’s commitment, confirming: “Riverside County Supervisor Victor Manuel Perez and his staff have been champions in recognizing the urgent needs of the Eastern Coachella Valley. Claudia and I are humbled and eternally grateful for their continued and unwavering support of our mission to help the poor and disenfranchised. Ours is a true partnership. Thank You!”

The county’s $1.5 million contribution to this project adds to the $2 million that was recently secured in the California state budget by State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia for the center’s expansion. The expansion plans are estimated to cost $5 million.

The Galilee Center expansion will provide additional services for asylum seekers and shelter for local farmworkers. The expansion and renovation will add a 6,500-square-foot emergency shelter and feature two separate dormitory type rooms for males and females. The expansion will double the capacity for overnight stays from 75 beds to 150 beds.

Other improvements will include a kitchen remodel to serve more meals. When the expansion is built, the existing community room, which has been in use as a shelter, will be able to be used for community dining, special events and as a cooling center for the community.

The $1 million allocation comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding Riverside County received that is set aside for Supervisor Perez to use in the Fourth District for addressing homelessness. Last June, Supervisor Perez contributed $500,000 for the project from Fourth District Unincorporated Communities Initiative funding.

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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the Fourth Supervisorial District on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The largest district in the county by geography, the 4th District covers eastern Riverside County, from Whitewater, stretching across the entire Coachella Valley south to the Salton Sea, up Highway 74 to Idyllwild and the mountain communities, and heading east of the Coachella Valley to Blythe and the Colorado River.

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.