Guerneville Winter Shelter: Can We Do Better?
By Jennifer Wertz and Mark Emmett
As the summer ends, we look forward and begin to think about our winter homeless shelter, which is slated to open again in downtown Guerneville at the Vets Hall on December 1st, and remain open until March 31st of next year. The winter shelter will once again open its doors at night to provide a dry place to sleep, a hot meal, and showers for about 30 unsheltered adults (based on last year’s average occupancy), until they have to leave each morning.
West County Community Services (WCCS) is the local service provider who has traditionally been selected as the shelter operator, for which the county will pay them $147,208 for shelter operations this winter, a 2.9%+/- increase in funding over the previous year, according to a document obtained from Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC). According to Margaret Van Vliet, the Director of the CDC, who confirmed the funding amount, the funds are paid to cover the costs of staff, food, sleeping materials, showers, cleaning supplies, storage containers, etc., with $30,000 of that funding being paid back to the county for rent of the shelter space for the four months it is open. Based on those figures, the rent breaks down to $7,500 per month, and the other costs break down to about $29k per month, or a total of about $1,200 per month per person based on last year’s average occupancy rate. WCCS also solicits donations for things like blankets, towels, and volunteers to prepare and serve food at the Vets Hall, and has reported that sleeping mats are being provided by Palm Drive Health Care District this year.
In July 2010, County officials asked staff to find a permanent solution to address homelessness in the Lower Russian River Area. In response to the County’s request, the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC) established the River Area Shelter and Downtown (RASAD) Task Group. The RASAD Task Group was comprised of local residents and representatives from downtown businesses, social service agencies and County government. The RASAD Task Group met regularly beginning in March 2011, participating in nineteen Task Group meetings and two community meetings. There were many sites and shelter models reviewed throughout the meetings, which ultimately resulted in the seasonal “behavior-based” nighttime shelter at the Vets Hall location.
The Guerneville winter shelter is a “behavior-based” model, meaning there is no sobriety requirement to be admitted to the shelter; rather behavior is the criteria used to determine if someone is admitted. The 2011 RASAD Task Group Final Recommended Report recommended a shelter code of conduct that stated no violence, threats, drug or alcohol use, stealing, vandalism, weapons, sexual harassment, use of racial or discriminatory slurs, or bothering children would be tolerated. The recommended consequence for any violation of the shelter code of conduct was expulsion from the shelter.
The RASAD report also outlined a downtown neighborhood code of conduct on pages 39 and 40 that stated:
• The Shelter & Services Program strives to be a good neighbor to all of our neighbors. Complaints by our neighbors will be taken seriously (see The Shelter & Services Program neighborhood Addendum.)
• Possession of a shopping cart is considered theft and will be reason for loss of all privileges.
• Loitering in the Shelter & Services Program Neighborhood is not permitted at any time.
• Panhandling by members of the Shelter & Services Program is not permitted at any time.
• Littering anywhere in the community is not permitted.
• The Shelter & Services Program neighborhood is the area surrounding the Shelter & Services Program property.We value our relationship with our neighbors and strive to address any issues that might arise. There is no loitering allowed in the Shelter & Services Program neighborhood. Loitering includes sitting on the curbs, lawns, behind buildings etc. of businesses and streets in the neighborhood. There will be aNeighborhood Watch that ensures that the Shelter & Services Program continues to be a good neighbor. This watch group includes the residents and staff of the Shelter & Services Program, and the businesses and residents of the neighborhood. When an incident is reported in the neighborhood, Shelter & Services Program staff will attempt to identify the person involved and let them know the effect they are having on the neighborhood. If the person is not responsive to the concerns of the neighborhood, that person will lose privileges at the Shelter & Services Program.
