Fresno is about to get the largest family shelter in central California. Here’s where
Fresno will soon be home to the largest family shelter for people experiencing homelessness and shared campus of emergency services in central California.
The Fresno Mission had been in “decision purgatory” as to where to build their new headquarters ever since the nonprofit was forced to vacate their old property, which was in the path of high-speed rail construction through downtown.
The announcement of the new permanent center came Friday. City officials estimate Fresno’s unhoused population is at 4,000 — a number that’s expected to grow after the city’s pandemic-related eviction moratorium expires.
Chief Executive Officer of Fresno Mission, Matt Dildine, said the Fresno Mission’s City Center would combine a “faith-driven process,” “radical partnership,” and “a Bitwise-like format” to address the city’s homelessness and trauma needs.
“We want to give the absolute best for the people who sometimes feel like the least,” said Dildine.
Homelessness in Fresno expected to grow
Fresno has an estimated 4,000 homeless population, according to city officials and homeless advocates.
H Spees, Fresno’s homeless initiatives director, estimates that only about 1,500 of these are sheltered and that another 4,000 residents are on the edge of homelessness.
But the number of people at risk of experiencing homelessness could be higher, especially after the city’s emergency ordinance is lifted and the eviction moratorium expires, which is planned for sometime early next year.
Advocates and city leaders say while they don’t know the exact number of families at risk of eviction, over 10,000 qualified residents applied for ERAP, the city’s emergency rental assistance program.
Youth homelessness, in particular, is a major focus of the Fresno Mission.
California has 271,000 students classified as homeless, said Dildine, with a street population of 161,000. “Many of these students are the ones that are hidden, he said. “You can’t see them because they might be sleeping in cars or hotels, and they’re not the sort of population that we pick up on a point-in-time count.”
Dildine said that Fresno Mission has 300% more people on their waiting list than they can support and that the organization sees primarily women and children that turn to them for services.
City leaders applaud Fresno Mission’s new center
Located at the site of the old Sierra Hospital campus, the nine-acre City Center “campus” will have residential housing for approximately 77 families, office space for nonprofit service providers and partners, a coffee shop, grocery store, a youth center, a charter school, a church, and more.
The site, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2022, expects to house between 250-400 individuals at any given time and reach around 700-900 youth through its other services.
“We’re not just creating a place with crisis housing,” said Dildine. “Instead, we’re trying to create a community asset” that cares for the surrounding community as well as those that live on site.
Mayor Jerry Dyer applauded the project, saying that “something of this magnitude is the first in our nation.”
“What will be taking place on this campus will change the hearts and lives of people,” said Dyer, “and will ultimately change the face of our community for decades to come.”
Councilmember Nelson Esparza of District 7, where the shelter is located, said the building of City Center was a “historic moment in our city and our district,” especially with the services that focus on “long-term care,” and “long-term solutions.”
Esparza thanked Dildine and the Fresno Mission’s efforts to engage the surrounding community on the project on the construction of the project.
Esparza and Fresno Rescue said that no city dollars have gone towards this project and that the project’s $30 million investment has all come from private funding.
“We’re especially thankful to the Fresno Mission for their believing in this neighborhood and the positive impact they’re going to bring to it,” said Esparza. “And again, investing those dollars.”
Supervisor Nathan Masgig addressed the recent news that The Bee uncovered regarding the “inhumane” living conditions that many youths under the County’s supervision have experienced.
“There were issues with the county of Fresno, and those kids were not receiving the care that they needed,” said Masgig. “But here at the (Fresno) Mission, there are many stories where (homeless foster) kids like that come through this program, and their lives are changed.
“I want to recognize the fact that we are not here because of some grants that was given through government funding,” said Masgig. “I look at the work of the (Fresno) Mission, and it is sustained by God through ... donations and generous giving.”
Spees said that Fresno Mission’s project represents a “collective impact” on addressing homelessness.
“No one can consider themselves the beginning and end of homelessness,” said Spees. “It takes a whole community.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
