The focus this year for the Homeless Coalition of San Benito County is to get more services at the shelter for clients and to find a daytime space where they can go when the shelter is closed from morning to nightfall.
The seasonal shelter on Southside Road is readying to open Nov. 1.
“We really need to get some (memorandums of understanding) in place to bring services up there,” said Cindy Parr, the executive director of the Homeless Coalition.
In the past, the agency has had agreements with San Benito County’s Behavioral Health department and the San Benito County Health Foundation. But Parr said the ideal situation would be to have a counselor available more than an hour or two a week to meet with clients.
“It’s worse this year,” Parr said of the needs she has seen when visiting some of the county’s homeless during the off season.
Parr, along with homeless shelter staff members and members of the coalition board, have been doing a survey of homeless residents to find out how vulnerable they are. It is a survey put together by the federal Housing and Urban Development department, which funds grants for permanent housing.
“The longer they stay out being homeless, the greater the challenge is,” said Tom Horsfall, a board member. “Mental, psychological and physical (ailments) are going to build up and not be able to improve.”
Jessica Gilliland, another board member, said the survey asks homeless residents to rate their chances of dying on the streets soon.
“We surveyed two clients the first day and it was 50-50,” she said, with one person rating a five that they were close to dying and another rating a two that things were not so bad.
Parr said she is also hoping to find a location or create a partnership with local churches to provide a “Day Room,” where homeless residents could stay during the daytime hours when the seasonal shelter is not open.
The Homeless Coalition received word a couple weeks ago that it received a community development block grant that will help cover a portion of their operating expenses for 2012-13. They also raised nearly $12,000 at the Jazz Under the Stars fundraiser in August. The money raised is split between the Homeless Coalition and the Save the Music Drive.
Despite the grant and fundraising efforts, the shelter is continuously in need of donations and volunteers. They are looking for volunteers to cook and serve dinner at the shelter each night of the week, with some dates already filled. They are also in need of travel-size toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant, soap and toothpaste. They also need paper products, clothing for men and women, and donations of food items for breakfast or lunch meals that can be taken on the go.
For those interested in donating, they can call Parr to arrange a pick-up or delivery of items and get a full list of the needs.
The coalition staff members are still awaiting the release of federal funds that will provide for a dozen permanent homes for individuals who are homeless as well as families who qualify for the program. San Benito County and the local homeless coalition are set to receive $207,066 that will cover the cost of leases. Parr said they have talked with local property owners who are willing to lease units for the program as soon as the funding comes in.
“We haven’t lined up leases, but we have made headway with Realtors,” Parr said. “We are just waiting for them to release funds.”
To volunteer with the Homeless Coalition of San Benito County or make a donation of supplies for the homeless shelter, call Cindy Parr at 801-9531.
