TRACY, Calif. — The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved more than $3.6 million for a temporary homeless shelter in Tracy.
The emergency housing facility, a first for the city of Tracy, is aimed at supporting the city’s homeless population with emergency housing and case management services, officials said in a press release on Wednesday.
“What comes next is actually building, so we're really excited," said Councilman Dan Arriola. "It looks like we're gonna be able to be completed with people in our shelter by early 2022. We were hoping to do it sooner than that. But again, just kind of it took time."
The site will be located on Arbor Avenue, between MacArthur Drive and Holly Drive.
“Providing shelter and supportive services for those we serve who are experiencing homelessness is a top priority for our City Council; this action taken by the Board of Supervisors shows that addressing these service gaps in the City of Tracy is a priority for our County, too,” Mayor Nancy Young said.
Arriola said the the shelter will have three stages, with the first stage being able to shelter about 65 people. He added that the shelter is meant to be an emergency housing option with access to addiction services, mental health services, job training and more.
The whole point is to get people in, give them the services they need to transition them out into a middle term option and hopefully, long term options after that," he said.
Arriola presented the city’s plan to the board of supervisors, which unanimously approved the proposal. The total budget for Tracy’s emergency housing facility is $6.2 million. The other $2.56 million was provided by funding in the CARES Act.
“This comes down to a crisis of conscience," Arriola said. "You know, these are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, and we need to make sure that we're addressing their needs. And so, this is what I want to say... it's not quite the first step. We've had quite a few steps, but this is a huge opportunity and step to finally begin to address the issue."
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