Over some objections, Stanislaus supervisors approve a homeless shelter downtown
In giving approval Tuesday to an ambitious effort to assist the homeless, Stanislaus County supervisors fought perceptions they will simply be warehousing people in a new shelter in Modesto.
A proposed 180-bed shelter at the Salvation Army site at Ninth and D streets will be coupled with an adjacent access center with services to help the homeless get their lives back on track.
Supervisors unanimously approved the multimillion dollar plan, which is opposed by some downtown business owners, and dismissed an idea to consolidate homeless services on Hackett Road, far outside the downtown.
“If we can draw them out and get them services, we can improve the situation,” Supervisor Vito Chiesa said.
The Modesto City Council still needed to approve the general terms of an agreement with the county and the Salvation Army, whose leadership in Southern California will consider the agreement within two weeks.
The county will lease 18,000 square feet of the Salvation Army’s Berberian Center for the 180-bed low-barrier shelter. Annual costs of operating the shelter are estimated at $1.5 million; Turning Point Community Partners is expected to run the facility. The Salvation Army will continue to operate its 120-bed emergency shelter on Ninth and will need administrative and program offices after a north wing is converted for the county’s low-barrier shelter.
Modesto would provide public works improvements and additional parking for the access center, which will use modular buildings on city-owned land. In another step, the county will purchase the Salvation Army community center, at Seventh and I streets, for $1.25 million. Renovation of the center will provide housing for families and young people threatened with homelessness.
The county shelter on Ninth will be different from traditional emergency shelters in allowing people to stay up to six months. Homeless individuals can live in a stable environment while accessing case management, mental health services or other needed help in the adjacent center. Staff will also work to get them into housing or the workforce.
The shelter and supportive services are meant to eliminate the need for the tent city at Beard Brook Park, which sprang up after a federal court ruling in September said local jurisdictions could not enforce laws against sleeping in parks.
Officials said at Tuesday’s meeting that 240 people, or more than half of those encamped at Beard Brook, have moved to an “outdoor emergency shelter” consisting of tents under the Ninth Street Bridge.
Supervisors heard from business people who disagreed with sheltering so many homeless near the downtown.
“You are making a mistake,” said one business owner, who told of dealing with ugly details of homelessness near his 12th Street business.
Catrina Gerard, who’s in the real estate business, said the county and city should consider the economic impacts of homelessness on the downtown area.
Marian Kaanon, chief executive officer of Stanislaus Community Foundation, said the county’s strategies for reducing homelessness are the same that proved successful in New Jersey’s Bergen County, which has earned kudos for housing homeless veterans and ending chronic homelessness.
Kaanon said the Modesto shelter and access center will stabilize families and the homeless who sleep in parks and neighborhoods. She praised the Downtown Streets Team program for teaching work skills to the homeless.
Based on annual counts, the county has an estimated homeless population of 1,600, including more than 1,200 in Modesto, but a larger total is anticipated this year, county Deputy Executive Officer Ruben Imperial said.
The access center is designed as a one-stop shop for services and a hub with satellite centers in other communities in Stanislaus County. The county also considered the former Scenic General Hospital building on Scenic Drive and other locations for the center and low-barrier shelter.
A motel in Turlock is under consideration as a shelter for homeless veterans.
The county has $7.2 million in Homeless Emergency Aid Program funds from the state. According to the plan approved Tuesday, $4 million would be invested for facilities in Modesto and $1 million is designated for communities such as Turlock, Patterson and Oakdale, which have projects in the works.
Supervisor Jim DeMartini said he didn’t understand a proposed open-door policy for dogs at the low-barrier shelter. He didn’t see how owners could bring diseased and unvaccinated canines into the shelter. Staff noted that other communities with low-barrier shelters allow owners to bring healthy, well-behaved dogs into the shelter or there are kennels outside.
DeMartini added that the county will need to see good results from spending millions on the facilities.
Supervisor Tom Berryhill said he had concerns with putting the shelter space and services downtown. “I am going to support this but would like for us to stay flexible if it does not work out,” he said.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 4:59 PM.
