Emotions among homeless mixed as tent city closes and new shelter opens
Officials will give an update Wednesday on the effort to close the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter — the tent city that is home to about 450 people — in the coming weeks and relocating its residents to other shelters.
The briefing will take place at the Stanislaus Homeless Alliance meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place. The meeting is open to the public.
The effort includes the opening of a new 182-bed low-barrier shelter with services at The Salvation Army’s Berberian Center at Ninth and D streets, near downtown. Officials have moved the shelter’s opening from Nov. 15 to Nov. 18 and expect it will take about two weeks to fill it up.
A report for the Stanislaus Homeless Alliance meetings states about 450 people live at the outdoor emergency shelter — which is underneath the Ninth Street Bridge in the Tuolumne River Regional Park — and about 300 have been assessed. About 250 have said they would accept “housing/shelter.”
The report states the assessments continue, and outreach workers will prioritize the outdoor shelter residents based on such factors as their participation in services and their vulnerability and “staff are working very hard to ensure that all (outdoor shelter residents) are provided a shelter or housing opportunity somewhere, prior to exiting (the outdoor shelter.)“
It is expected to take about two weeks to close the outdoor shelter once the new one opens.
Stanislaus County and Modesto officials have said that there are other shelter options besides the new 182-bed shelter, which is a partnership among the city, county and The Salvation Army.
But convincing tent city residents to move to shelter could be a challenge.
The Bee spoke with about a half dozen Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter residents Monday about the tent city’s impending closure and their plans. Most said they did not want to move to a shelter if that meant giving up their dogs (the new shelter can take about 50 dogs).
They also said living in a shelter could trigger anxiety attacks because of the lack of privacy and close contact with others in what they consider dormitories or barracks.
“I’ve never been in prison,” said one 45-year-old woman who asked to be identified by her first name, Yvonne. “I checked it out (the new 182-bed shelter), and there is no privacy at all. I cannot sleep in a crowded ... like a group ... like the way they have it. There is no privacy. I’m more comfortable in the tents.”
Yvonne said she became homeless about a year ago after leaving an abusive relationship. She also said she won’t go to the new shelter because she won’t give up her two small dogs. “I’m going to do what I got to do, be on the streets for a while.”
But others said they look forward to moving to the new shelter, despite its lack of privacy.
They welcome being warm and having washers and dryers and showers, features the outdoor shelter does not have. They also want to escape what they call the drama — the yelling and screaming and drug use among some residents — at the tent city.
“I plan on going, yes,” said a 49-year-old woman, who identified herself by her first name, Michelle. “My boyfriend saw it and said it looks like juvenile hall. But it’s better than out here.”
Michelle said she can take her dog. Officials are limiting pets to one per owner for those who can take them to the new shelter. Michelle said she has been homeless off and on for the past five years when her life derailed after going to jail.
Wednesday’s meeting will include an update on what officials call “community accountability, enforcement standards, and efforts to address vagrancy in Stanislaus County.” Modesto police are working on a plan to ensure people do not go back to camping in city parks and other public property once the tent city closes.
Officials opened the tent city in February after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September 2018 that prosecuting people for sleeping outdoors in city parks and other public property when there are not enough shelter beds or other alternatives is cruel and unusual punishment.
Before opening outdoor shelter, Modesto temporarily opened nearby Beard Brook Park to homeless campers within a couple of weeks of the court ruling. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ jurisdiction includes California as well as several other Western states.
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 4:42 PM.
