Homeless advocate Marley Holte of San Juan Bautista is
frustrated. With good reason.
Homeless advocate Marley Holte of San Juan Bautista is frustrated. With good reason.
The founder of Community Assistance Program, which holds Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for homeless folks, saw last week’s Hollister City Council meeting on homeless issues canceled. He also saw the Council, last winter, vote against using the National Guard Armory at the airport for a winter shelter because the Federal Aviation Administration objected. Now, the city and county are wrangling over who should take the lead to find a building for a shelter program.
Part of his frustration is that he is convinced he can get money for a program, if he only could find a building. Also frustrating is that he hears kudos for his efforts to help the poor, but sees no official action to help find a building.
As a result of inaction, Holte says he has missed the deadline to apply for federal funding for a homeless program and the homeless will be out on the street for another year. In the meantime, Holte says the $345,000 grant he is eligible to receive for a program has dwindled by $100,000. If he had a building, Holte said a program would be up and running now.
We can and should do better for our homeless. A conscientious community cares for those who are less fortunate and does more than pay lip service to help.
In Holte, we have a person willing to do the leg work on a program. The local governments should take advantage of that instead of arguing over who should do what. Create a joint city and county task force charged with finding a building and landing the federal grant. Appoint a city and a county official to help guide it in its work, ask residents to join and ask the local churches to help.
Also reconsider the National Guard Armory. Supervisor Bob Cruz points out that Gilroy’s winter shelter functions with few problems at the National Guard Armory. That’s true. Neighbors there have few complaints, and for 14 years, it has been providing an invaluable service to Gilroy’s homeless.
But, most importantly, work together, find a building and get people a decent place to sleep on a cold winter night. It’s shameful, as Councilman Robert Scattini said, that the city can build an animal shelter but leaves the homeless out in the cold.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or fax to 637-4104 or e-mail to [email protected]
