The grand opening of San Benito County’s first homeless shelter
will be delayed by two weeks, and organizers say bureaucratic red
tape is to blame.
Hollister – The grand opening of San Benito County’s first homeless shelter will be delayed by two weeks, and organizers say bureaucratic red tape is to blame.
“It’s mostly a paperwork issue, and there might be some painting to finish up,” said Hollister City Councilman Doug Emerson. “Hopefully, most of that will be worked out by this Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting.”
Originally, the homeless task force – a coalition of community leaders, churches and other non-profits – had hoped to offer a winter shelter to the local homeless population by mid-November. However, construction was put on hold when the nation’s supply of sheetrock – necessary for the building of walls – was all but consumed by rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s unfortunate that the sheetrock set us back,” said Marley Holte, local homeless advocate. “But we’ve had really good weather, for the most part. Until now, the weather hasn’t been too bad for people who need to sleep outside.”
After the sheetrock was made available, task force members hoped to have everything in place by this weekend to provide a winter haven for the county’s most needy. But before the shelter can legally house occupants, two things must happen: The County Board of Supervisors and the homeless task force must both sign a contract regarding the terms of the $139,500 state grant the shelter is receiving, and the building must pass a final inspection in order for the task force to receive their temporary occupancy permit.
“It’s just like when you’re building any house,” Emerson said. “Someone has to go through and make sure everything’s safe and up to code before you let anyone live there.”
According to Emerson, the homeless task force worked extensively with Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, to have the state write up the contract. But it was not made available until Thursday, he said. With any luck, an official will inspect the shelter within the next week, and it will be open and accepting occupants by Dec. 15.
Once operational, the shelter will be able to hold up to 28 people from 6pm to 6am through the winter months into mid-March. The shelter offers a warm, dry environment and a meal, along with mental health, medical and employment services. It will also provide courtesies such as a barber. A bus will be available just before 6pm to take people from the stop at Fourth and San Benito streets to the shelter, located on the migrant labor camp off Southside Road. After March, the shelter will be used to house male migrant workers during the summer.
As for the community’s homeless looking to get out of the rain in the meantime, Holte recommends the Gilroy shelter if people can afford the bus fair. Gilroy’s shelter was the model for San Benito County’s, and Holte says the organization was instrumental in helping the homeless task force get their project off the ground. Those who can’t afford the bus fare, however, have little alternative but to wait until Dec. 15.
Those interested in volunteering with the homeless task force are encouraged to call program manager Leigh Deitz at (831) 801-9531.
