BY ALEX CANTATORE
The folks at the We Care program, the Turlock-based non-profit that operated the Emergency Cold Weather Homeless Shelter for the past six years, had something to be especially thankful for as they were carving the turkey this year. The City of Turlock completed its final inspection of a United Samaritans-owned facility at 213/219 S. Broadway on Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving, and save for a few last-minute tweaks the new facility looks ready to begin operations.
“It went well, (the City is) coming back sometime Monday to make sure that the last few minor things are done,” said Maris Sturtevant, We Care program board member. “We’re kind of hoping to open Monday night.”
Should all go well during the Monday inspection, and a few niggling little issues are taken care of over the weekend, about 34 homeless men will have an interim place to stay starting Dec. 1. That opening date can’t come soon enough according to We Care representatives, with overnight lows expected to be in the low 40s next week.
“The weather’s not getting any better and that ‘Mediterranean season’ has passed,” Sturtevant said. “(The homeless are) happy that we’re going to try to get this open.”
The City of Turlock decided on Aug. 12 that they would no longer sponsor a city-owned homeless shelter due to liability concerns. They will instead fund a motel voucher program this year through Modesto non-profit Community Housing and Shelter Services, which will provide temporary hotel stays to families with a verifiable income beginning Monday as well.
The Turlock Gospel Mission has also been working on a program this winter to operate their first shelter, a roaming affair without a permanent facility that will spend each week at a different area church. The TGM offering, which was projected to open Monday as well but now will be delayed until Dec. 14 according to a report the Journal was unable to confirm before deadline, and will cater to women and children.
As the City will take care of families and the TGM will be caring for women and children this winter, homeless single men would be left out in the cold without the We Care interim housing facility. Together, the three new homeless housing options in Turlock should allow the city to provide service to a broader spectrum of homeless individuals than the old 400 B. St. facility was capable of.
Should all go well and the We Care facility is able to open its doors on Monday following the final inspection, the group hopes to operate the interim housing facility on South Broadway from Dec. 1 to March 31, 2009. However, as of right now, We Care only has enough funding to remain open for approximately five or six weeks.
We Care was originally designated as recipients of $20,000 of Turlock’s Community Development Block Grant funding, but when the City Council made the decision to abandon the 400 B. St. shelter an attempt was made to rescind that grant money. We Care will meet with the City on Dec. 9 to determine the fate of that funding.
Even with the CDGB funding, We Care would not be able to remain open until March 31. Operating the shelter for the 16-week run is expected to cost approximately $100,000 in rent, payroll, utilities, and most expensively, security.
“We’re trying to cut our costs as much as we can to stay open as long as we can,” Sturtevant said. “With having to have security it’s an expensive program, though.”
In a departure from past years, We Care is asking if those serving dinners at the facility will be able to donate things such as paper plates that We Care previously would have purchased themselves. These cost saving measures will only go so far however; ultimately, We Care needs more money in order to last until March 31.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to keep it open with money we have for as long as we can,” Sturtevant said. “But we need money; we need funding to run this program.”
To donate to We Care, call 484-1768 or send checks made out to We Care Program to P.O. Box 1291, Turlock, CA 95381.
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 11/28/2008.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.