As the cold rolls in, the doors have officially opened at Sacramento’s new, temporary winter homeless shelter in North Sacramento.
A group of 50 men and women will sleep there for the first time Friday night.
The shelter – which many residents in North Sacramento opposed – is located at 2040 Railroad Dr. and will be open until March 31. City officials estimate it will cost the city $1.4 million.
While some neighbors are still opposed to the opening, citing costs and location, others see it as the potential start of a new beginning.
“I’m just blessed to be here,” Wendelin Ann Branch, who has been homeless on and off for 9 years, explained. “Four months. I can get my diploma. I can get all the help I need here, and I can save money to get into a place.”
Branch, 48, is one of the 50 people who will call the shelter home for the next four months. She had previously spent time living in a tent city just across the street.
“I don’t ever want to be out there again,” she said. “I call it the devil’s bend.”