Temecula's program to keep homeless families together and housed has earned one of the state's top honors for city government.

The League of California Cities, or Cal Cities, named Temecula a recipient of the 2026 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Housing Programs and Innovations category, according to a city press release. The award was announced at the 2026 Cal Cities Annual Conference. Temecula was one of 12 cities selected from 161 submissions statewide.

The award recognizes Temecula's Flexible Family Assistance Program, which uses a "shelter-in-place" model instead of routing families to traditional shelters. Families stay in the community while longer-term housing is arranged. The approach keeps children enrolled in their schools and parents connected to their jobs.

In 2025, the program served 42 households representing about 162 people, including 102 children.

The city's press release described the program as a demonstration of "how early intervention, flexible assistance and strong partnerships can create meaningful, cost-effective solutions while preserving the family and community connections that are critical to long-term stability."

The program operates through partnerships with the Social Work Action Group (SWAG), the Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Crisis Team, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Mission Hope.

Mayor Jessica Alexander said the award reflects the city's focus on meeting people where they are. "Our goal is not simply to address homelessness, but to help people move toward stability while treating every individual and family with dignity and respect," Alexander said in the press release.

The Helen Putnam Award, established in 1982, recognizes outstanding achievements by California's 483 cities, according to Cal Cities. Winners are honored at the annual conference and featured in Western City magazine.

Temecula was not the only Riverside County city recognized. Moreno Valley received a 2026 Helen Putnam Award in the Intergovernmental Collaboration category for its Veterans Initiative, marking the city's sixth Helen Putnam Award since 2020, as first reported by Moreno Valley Business.

No date has been announced for a Temecula City Council presentation of the award.