Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez announced Monday the county and city have been awarded a $1.5 million grant to go toward a new, year-round homeless facility.
Velazquez made the announcement during the council meeting regarding a federal grant that officials with both government entities had been pursuing for about a year ago. The mayor and other officials in recent months have been trying to address a growing homeless problem in the area.
The $1.5 million is a Community Development Block Grant awarded to the county, while the city will apply for similar funding next year so the project could then break ground. The initial funds will go toward a transitional facility that may include dormitory-type units, Velazquez said.
“That was a lot of work from a lot of staff at the county, a lot of team members working together to make that happen,” Velazquez said during Monday’s council meeting.
Homeless Coalition of San Benito County board Chairwoman Pat Loe referred to the transitional center as more of a “day room” that would be open year round. It would include more than 50 beds, she said.
Velazquez said those involved started a year ago with “no hope” but that a “little effort” and luck led to the award. He hopes construction could start within a year on the transitional facility before the city and county move ahead on plans for a separate permanent shelter.
“We’re $1.5 million closer to having our own facility here within the city to help solve our homeless problem,” Velazquez said. “Thank you to all of those that made that happen.”
The mayor has said he expects a permanent shelter to go next to county buildings off San Felipe Road.
There is currently a temporary homeless facility on Southside Road open from November through March, but the homeless coalition this year initially announced it had missed out on a grant it normally gets to fund the operation and its leaders had talked of using trailers instead. Loe on Tuesday clarified that the coalition did end up getting the necessary funds to open the seasonal shelter in November.
Velazquez in an interview with the Free Lance said there are several complicated components to the Southside Road facility.
“It’s very difficult for them to get the funding they need and they can only do it part of the year,” he said.
About $1.2 million of the CDBG grant would go toward construction, Velazquez said, while the government entities still need to buy land as well.
In other council matters:
– The co-chairman of the Marley Holte Holiday Dinners asked Hollister council members Monday to name the grassy lot in the 400 block of San Benito Street as “Marley Holte Plaza” to honor the late Good Samaritan.
Lopez asked council members to memorialize the late founder of the city’s holiday dinners by naming the plot after him. Marley Holte and his wife at the time founded the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in the mid-1980s. Those dinners have continued on today, despite Holte’s passing in 2006.
The Thanksgiving dinners generally serve about 300 residents each year, with the Christmas dinners feeding about 500 people annually at the Sacred Heart gym.
“He should have some kind of tribute to him,” said Lopez, adding he could see the naming of the plot going along with plans for a statue there of the late Eric Tognazzini.
– Councilman Victor Gomez expressed frustration Monday about a recent vote on the Council of San Benito County Governments board against putting Highway 25 on a key funding list.
Gomez reported to other council members that the COG board voted against placing the highway on a list of “constrained” projects – a crucial step to get outside funds.
He said San Juan Councilman Tony Boch joined County Supervisors Anthony Botelho and Jerry Muenzer – whom Gomez is trying to unseat on the Nov. 4 ballot – in voting against the financially constrained designation.
COG staff members are planning to meet with Caltrans’ staff to discuss alternate proposals for the highway and possibly an alternate route adoption, Gomez said.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t a commitment from the majority of the COG board to move forward with an actual, detailed plan,” Gomez said.
COG in early 2011 endorsed plans for the expansion of the nearly 15-mile stretch and a 3.8-mile, four-lane expressway starting from Hollister on the west side of the current highway before transitioning back to the existing two-lane highway.
After COG asked Caltrans in June 2010 to reduce potential impacts on agriculture, the state modified the roadway plan to cut estimated costs. By reducing the median width from 62 feet to 46 feet and moving the proposed alignment closer to the existing Highway 25, it reduced the need for farmland acquisition by up to 30 percent. Estimates on the entire build-out of the Highway 25 expansion project have been near $300 million.
