Fresno unveils homeless shelter units to replace aging ones. These have air conditioning
The Poverello House in southwest Fresno on Wednesday unveiled new homeless housing that is roomier, temperature controlled and can serve more people than its almost 20-year-old digs, according to officials.
The 30 new pallet shelters are about 100 square feet, come with heating and air conditioning, and are hooked up to provide electricity to their tenants, according to Poverello House officials.
“They look good, they look sturdy and most importantly they offer the conveniences that make life more comfortable,” Mayor Lee Brand said. “We’ve neglected the homeless housing problem for far too long.”
The new shelters, which continue to go up Wednesday, replace 64-square-foot Tuff Shed brand shelters that had no temperature control or electrical outlets and have been in use since 2002, officials said.
The shelters can hold 120 people as they spend 90 to 120 days at the site before permanent housing can be found, according to Zack Darrah, executive director of Poverello House.
“(In 2017) we scaled down the project and made sure to focus on case management and navigation, trying to make sure folks are not just warehoused in Tuff Sheds but are being worked with to get into permanent shelter,” Darrah said.
The Poverello House raised about $1 million to cover the cost of the new structures that are part of what is officially called the Mike McGarvin Jr. Village of Hope Renovation.
Council President Miguel Arias praised the city’s planning department for ideas that put “our brothers and sisters” in improved temporary housing.
“It’s very easy to criticize our planning staff that are making sure people meet the building codes and zoning standards from a city as large as Fresno,” he said. “In this case, they’ve taken out their creative hats, put them on (and) figured out a way to make this possible.”
Total homelessness in Fresno and Madera grew from 2,508 people in 2019 to 3,641 people in 2020, according to results from January’s point-in-time count. The count preceded the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the economy.
The new shelters are just the latest in city efforts to house people living on the street.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday the Fresno Housing Authority will receive more than $7.6 million to purchase and rehabilitate Motel 99 on Crystal Avenue in the Parkway Drive Corridor to house people experiencing homelessness.
The city is in discussions to do the same at three other motels in the area. The locations have not been disclosed publicly.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
