Santa Clara County is offering $2 million to help landlords repair dilapidated group homes for people with mental health and addiction issues — an attempt to alleviate a longstanding problem across the South Bay.

County officials also hope to increase oversight of the “independent living homes,” although it is unclear whether they have the authority or capacity to do so.

The county plans to distribute grants from the total pot of money to property owners over the next fiscal year, which starts in June.

“I’m feeling encouraged today by the steps that we’ve taken to address these concerns, including implementing monitoring mechanisms to ensure homes meet higher standards,” said Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, at a public meeting earlier this month.Even though the county relies on these homes to place its most vulnerable residents, operators are not required to obtain a license — meaning there is currently very little oversight of most properties. That’s left many tenants to languish in inhospitable conditions and, in some cases, unable to get the care they need, a Bay Area News Group report found last year.

Officials believe there are at least a hundred such privately owned and operated homes tucked in residential neighborhoods throughout the county. Many more are spread across the Bay Area and the rest of California, though no one knows the exact number. They typically house formerly incarcerated people as well as those leaving mental health and addiction facilities.

The county plans to distribute the new grant money first to landlords of tenants who receive care through the county’s behavioral health department or other county agencies. It is unclear how much money each landlord could receive or how many properties the funds could ultimately benefit.

Officials have also formed a work group of mental health advocates, health care providers, property owners, local officials and others to determine how to best distribute the grants.

At this month’s meeting, advocates with the group called for a registry of all local independent living homes to increase oversight, despite concerns by county staff that they may lack the legal authority, workforce and expertise to monitor the properties. Supervisors directed staff to report back on options to expand oversight and potentially combine monitoring efforts with San Jose, where many of the homes are located.

Work group member and advocate Lorraine Zeller called on county officials at the meeting to continue working to address the serious issues at many homes, including a “lack of heat and hot water” and “harassment and retaliation” by operators.