Largest family shelter in Central California was supposed to open last year. What’s the hold up?
A long-awaited family shelter is expected to open in February — nearly two years after originally planned.
The 72-unit family shelter at Fresno Mission’s City Center “campus” near Blackstone and Dakota Avenues, is anticipated to open in the next four to eight weeks, said CEO Matt Dildine. He’d like to have families in before Christmas, but the site needs a few finishing touches before it is move-in ready, meaning a February opening is more realistic.
“We’re basically done with construction,” he said. “We’re just waiting on somebody to power on the stinking elevator, you know, do the final little things.”
When it opens, the 72-unit residential tower will provide “emergency low-barrier access to temporary housing” to families for several months and help them connect with services, Dildine said. He estimates the shelter — which he said will be the largest family shelter in central California — can house between 200 to 400 individuals, depending on the number of kids per family.
Staff estimated in October 2021 that the site would be completed by the end of 2022. Fresno Mission staff then told The Bee in February 2023 that the shelter was expected to open that spring.
But environmental reviews, delays in electricity set up by Pacific Gas and Electric Company and a theft of copper wiring in the building slowed things down, Dildine said. The copper wire theft added an additional $500,000 to the estimated $30-$40 million privately-funded city center project.
The new shelter is in high demand. About 120 to 150 families are already on the waitlist.
“Our present waitlist is almost double of the amount of rooms,” Dildine said. Priority will go to the most vulnerable families and those with a lot of kids.
Located at the site of the old Sierra Hospital campus, the nine-acre City Center campus also has office space for nonprofit service providers, a coffee shop, a grocery store, a youth center, a charter school and a church.
Approximately 15,000 people are already being served through the center’s other offerings, Dildine said.
Formerly known as the Fresno Rescue Mission, the Fresno Mission is a faith-based organization that helps homeless and at-risk individuals with food, shelter and other other services.
How many families experience homelessness in Fresno?
Nationwide, family homelessness is on the rise.
A 2023 annual homelessness assessment report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that families with children experienced a 16% increase in homelessness compared to the previous year.
According to the most recent count of homeless individuals conducted by the Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care, there are more than 3,200 homeless individuals in the city of Fresno, of which 1,800 were living on the streets. (The total homelessness count including Madera city and county was 4,493.)
A majority of the homeless, or 86%, were individuals and couples.
But hundreds of families and children are also homeless, according to the tally.
People in family households accounted for 14%, or 629, of the region’s total homeless population.
And nearly 10 percent of the region’s total homeless population is under the age of 18.
According to HUD data, the Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care region has a total of 253 emergency shelter and transitional housing units for families with children, or a total of 693 beds.
Dildine said that the current model to address homelessness doesn’t do enough to serve families and children.
“Most of the services are all geared towards adults,” he said.
He wants children to remember their time at City Center as a positive experience, which is why they’ve invested heavily in the playground space, a soccer field and a “City Woods” indoor playground.
Dildine said the new family space is “the first shelter in America with its own bar.”
But instead of serving beer, the “bar” area — which doubles as a more inviting security entrance — will serve kid-friendly options like cookies, ice cream or popsicles. Kids can also watch the television located behind the bar, sit at the counter and do their homework or engage with staff and volunteers.
How will shelter help families?
Dildine said Fresno Mission’s “crisis housing” model differs from government-run shelters that tend to cap stays at 30 to 90 days.
The idea is to have families stay for four to eight months, rather than to get them out as quickly as possible. The organization takes about a month for families to relax and build trust. Then the organization provides career, housing, mental health, food support and other opportunities, Dildine said.
Some Jack and Jill style rooms with connecting doors will be able to accommodate families of up to ten people. Most rooms will be able to hold two sets of bunk beds, a queen bed and some other furniture items.
“We’re trying to provide them as comfortable of a place to be without making it so comfortable that they never want to leave,” he said.
If someone is seeking help, they can call Fresno Mission at (559) 444-0451.
This story was originally published December 14, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
