Project for Modesto homeless shelter nears critical decision

Officials will ask the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for permission to move forward with opening a temporary 60-bed low-barrier homeless shelter and day center near downtown Modesto as soon as June.

This is part of a larger request that includes seeking approval to develop a permanent access center, which will provide a full range of help and temporary housing for the homeless as providers work with them to eventually get them into permanent housing.

The temporary shelter and day center would serve the same function but on a smaller scale. They could operate for as long as three years until they are replaced by the access center. The county also plans to relocate its homeless outreach and engagement center to the site of the shelter and day center.

The proposed site for the temporary shelter and day center is on Stanislaus Food Products land behind The Salvation Army's Berberian Center at Ninth and D streets.

Unlike traditional ones, low-barrier shelters take couples, pets and store homeless people's possessions. The day center provides the homeless with a safe place where they can access services or just hang out.

The Board of Supervisors meets in the morning, and in the evening officials will brief the City Council about the project and seek council members' input and feedback. County CEO Jody Hayes said the city's support is critical and the county would not proceed without the city's backing.

This project comes as California faces a crisis over homelessness, and it is a top concern among Modesto residents.

But there is no consensus locally about what to do, and that can be seen in Mayor Ted Brandvold's and Councilwoman Jenny Kenoyer's positions.

Brandvold said he supports the project but said it should not be placed on Stanislaus Food Products land because it is too close to downtown.

He has suggested Hackett Road where the Sheriff's Department and county government have facilities or a former county medical facility between Hatch Road and Whitmore Avenue as alternatives. Brandvold said he's offered his services as an architect at no cost for these locations.

"I have concerns with it being in our downtown," he said. "Personally, I could be wrong, (but) I personally see this as possibly (attracting) more homeless.

"We are a very compassionate and caring city. I think we go above and beyond as it is. But there are alternative locations that should be considered."

Hayes said the alternatives Brandvold suggests would take considerably more time and effort than the Stanislaus Food Products location.

"Everyone agrees we need to work on the long-term solution" of opening a permanent access center and providing more transitional and permanent housing for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, Hayes said.

He said the question is whether the community should move forward now with a temporary low-barrier shelter and day center on Stanislaus Food property to provide some immediate relief.

For Kenoyer the answer is a resounding yes. "People in Modesto are tired of hearing about what we are going to do," she said. "We really need to do something now. ... We have this opportunity, and we need to take it."

She said the project is offering new services that should help the homeless and the community. For instance, she said the day center will give the homeless a place to go, and she does not believe the project will draw more homeless people to Modesto.

"They are all downtown now," she said. "Go to the transit center; go to J Street; go to McHenry (Avenue). They already are here."

The low barrier shelter and day center are part of Focus on Prevention, the initiative the county launched a few years ago to engage the different sectors of the community in finding solutions to some of the area’s most vexing problems, including homelessness.

The plan is to construct the shelter and day center out of converted shipping containers. The Stanislaus Community Foundation has pledged $1 million to build the project, and the county has $2.5 million from the state to operate the facility for three years.

The plan includes having the United Way serve as the project's fiscal agent and lease the land for a nominal amount from Stanislaus Food Products, but the details of that have not been completed. A Stanislaus Food official said recently the tomato cannery wants to be a good corporate citizen but needs to ensure the project will not harm it and surrounding businesses.

The United Way also would hire a nonprofit to operate the shelter and day center, according to the plan.

The Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St. The City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. in the same location.

This story was originally published February 25, 2018 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Project for Modesto homeless shelter nears critical decision."