MODESTO, Calif. — As Stanislaus County plans to shut down Modesto's Outdoor Emergency Shelter (MOES), made up of tents under the 9th Street bridge, they are also working to open multiple other indoor shelters as temperatures continue to drop.
"I've been out here on the streets for almost three years since my mom passed," Elvira Romero told ABC10.
She's one of hundreds of homeless people who will be relocated from MOES into a new, indoor shelter as the county prepares to close this tent city next month.
"If it's for a good reason, a good move, if they're going to help me out, yeah, I'll go. I'd go for it because you don't have nobody else out here. If you're not going to go, where are you going to go?" she said.
But with more than 400 people living under the 9th Street bridge and only 182 beds inside of Stanislaus County's new indoor emergency shelter, ABC10 wanted to know: What happens when they run out of beds?
Here's a look at the numbers:
- The county is adding 50 more beds to the Salvation Army side of things, bringing their total number of beds up to 200.
- They're also in the process of leasing the Rodeway Inn motel on 9th Street, specifically for homeless families, with room for more than 40 people.
- The county is also in the process of buying the Budget Inn & Suites on Kansas Avenue, with room for 200 more.
"All of the partners in this community have come together in a very collaborative way and with a sense of urgency. So, we believe strongly that there will be close to 600 units coming online in the next three to six months here in Stanislaus County," said Deputy Executive Officer for Stanislaus County, Becky Meredith.
Shania Goodman, 18, worries she could lose some privacy moving to the indoor shelter.
"It's just cold. You just have to use blankets, but you still get your own privacy, your own little area. It's worth it for not separating from everything else or moving all of the stuff," Goodman said.
And while it's not clear how people will be selected to move to each of these locations, Goodman is hoping she will get her own room.
"I just hope they do the hotel thing and we all still get our own privacy and stuff like that," she said.
The process of moving people out of the outdoor emergency shelter will start November 15 and will be spread out over a few weeks.
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