Construction of the Emmaus House is falling behind schedule, but
a planned fundraiser may breathe life back into the emergency
shelter for battered women and children in San Benito County.
Construction of the Emmaus House is falling behind schedule, but a planned fundraiser may breathe life back into the emergency shelter for battered women and children in San Benito County.
Organizers had hoped to have the shelter completed this month but fell short of their goal because of a lack of funding. They are now hoping the doors will open in the spring.
“We ran out of money,” said Hanna Peterson, associate pastor with the First Presbyterian Church in Hollister. “We’re so close, it breaks your heart.”
A benefit to help “Open the Doors” of the Emmaus House will be held Saturday, March 8 at the Hollister Elks Lodge. Tickets for the dinner-dance, which will also feature a silent auction, are $25 per person.
With 250 tickets available, David Rodriguez, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church said ticket sales have been great. “We are almost there,” he said.
In December, Rodriguez thought $20,000 would pay for completion of the Emmaus House, but the actual cost for plumbing fixtures, floor coverings, landscaping and additional outside concrete work is more than double that figure.
“It would be great if we could get donated materials and labor, but if not it will cost us $50,000,” Rodriguez said.
So far, organizers have spent $60,000 in time and materials, Rodriguez said. If they’d had to contract for services the project would have cost $850,000, he said.
“We have $740,000 in donated time and materials,” Rodriguez said. “We appreciate what the community has done for us. It’s a great gift and we are very appreciative.”
Rodriguez said organizers are working on other grant proposals they hope will go through. And, he said, those who can’t attend the fundraiser can still donate checks or cash.
“It’s going to cost $125,000 a year to run the program,” he said. “After we get the doors opened we will have other fundraisers to help with the expenses.”
Rodriguez said they still don’t have kitchen appliances or a washer and dryer but do have furniture in storage and ready to move in.
Located at the corner of Sunnyslope and Valley View roads, Emmaus House is a 6,000-square-foot facility that will serve as a 24-hour emergency shelter. Construction began in 2000 after more than seven years of planning.
The San Benito County Victim Witness Program estimates that there are more than 360 cases per year related to spousal abuse n San Benito County. The victims would be sent out of the county to emergency shelters in Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties if a local shelter was not available.
For more information about the dinner-dance, call 637-4350.
