With the dawning of the new year, our local government leaders
certainly have made a number of resolutions for the next 12 months.
Although not a top priority, opening a homeless shelter in 2005
should be high upon the list.
With the dawning of the new year, our local government leaders certainly have made a number of resolutions for the next 12 months. Although not a top priority, opening a homeless shelter in 2005 should be high upon the list.
That should be the case not only because there is grant money to pay for the operation of a homeless shelter once a location is found, or because last week’s cold and rainy weather made the need for a winter shelter obvious, but because San Benito County has a need for a shelter that extends much further than the reported 20 to 30 homeless people in our community. There is no transitional housing for people who are evicted from their homes, lose their houses to fire or other disasters, or for the residents who simply need a place to stay for a couple of weeks while looking for a job or determining their next course of action.
Granted our homeless problem pales in comparison to other areas such as Santa Cruz, but the dilemma is directly related to the poor economic climate and high cost of housing in San Benito County. More than we need to house the people who choose a homeless lifestyle, we need to help motivated people escape the vicious cycle when they do fall on hard times.
Perhaps there can be some kind of partnership between our local governments, civic-minded individuals such as Marley Holte and churches in the area to find a suitable building for a home. Last year Holte had his hands on a $345,000 federal grant, but couldn’t find a building to house the homeless and lost the money. This year maybe it’s even possible to create a plan that would allow the Emmaus House – Hollister’s battered women’s shelter seeking funding to open its doors – to work with a homeless shelter so grant money could help cover its bills too.
Whatever the case, leaders in local government plan to head to Gilroy this week to see how our neighbor to the north operates its facility. Let’s hope they find some good ideas. It’s encouraging to see the city and county beginning to work together on this issue, rather than argue over who should be responsible for handling the homeless.
Although there is much work to be done in San Benito County this year, giving the homeless a helping hand shouldn’t be pushed to the bottom of the pile again.
To comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or e-mail to [email protected].
