The Sunnyvale Sun

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Shelter open for one more month due to endless rains

There are not enough beds for all the homeless who need one

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

Homeless Sunnyvale residents got a reprieve from the cold and rain on April 5 when EHC Lifebuilders announced it would reopen its cold weather shelter for another month after it initially closed at the end of March.

Every year, EHC Lifebuilders runs a cold weather shelter at the Sunnyvale Armory from the Monday after Thanksgiving to the end of March when--theoretically--cold, rainy winter weather ends.

But this year, doors closed on March 31 and the 125 people who stayed at the shelter--from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night--were put back out onto the streets into record rains, minor flooding and chilling cold nights.

"The last day we were here before it closed was really frustrating," said shelter visitor Debbie Hoover. "I was worrying about where I was going to go."

But on April 5, thanks to a contract extension from the county of Santa Clara and the city of San Jose, the doors of the

armory will reopen to the homeless for another month. It is hoped it will outlast the rain.

"We have all been deeply concerned with the stormy weather and the toll that takes on our homeless clients and are extremely excited to be able to extend this critical service," said a statement from Jennifer Loving, EHC Lifebuilders' chief operating officer.

According to Lifebuilders spokeswoman Hilary Barroga, the organization spends just under $500,000 each winter to lease the armory and run the shelter operation. That money is repaid through grants from Santa Clara County and the state of California.

Although Lifebuilders did not spend the total amount allotted to it this winter, the contract only ran through the end of March. Any expenses incurred after that to keep the shelter open would have come out of Lifebuilders' own funds.

But with the contract extension, it can keep the shelter open until the end of April and be repaid for the costs.

"I thank God that the city and the county gave us until the end of the month," Hoover said.

In addition to leasing the building from the National Guard, those funds pay for meals, staffing costs and laundry services for all the bedding. Barroga said Lifebuilders contracts with Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas to get the bedding washed.

An extra month also gives people in the shelter more time to look for jobs and work on getting themselves into a more stable environment.

"It gives me an opportunity to get a good night's sleep, so I can look for work during the day," said shelter newcomer Patrick Rodriguez. "I feel more rested up."

Hoover said she was using the time to prepare to enter a nursing program in Cupertino to become a nurse like she was before she lost her job.

But even with the month extension, Barroga said there are not enough warm beds for the homeless in Santa Clara County. According to a 2005 report taken by Lifebuilders, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 available beds in the county, which is home to at least 20,000 homeless people.

In addition to Sunnyvale, Lifebuilders runs a second cold weather shelter in Gilroy each year, and it is building a permanent shelter to replace that one. It also runs the 250-bed Boccardo Reception Center in South San Jose. There are no plans to build more permanent shelters in Sunnyvale or surrounding cities.

"We're not opposed to the idea at all," Barroga said. "We're always looking at any options."

In addition, Barroga said Lifebuilders is watching the upcoming Section 8 list reopening for relief because getting people into affordable housing would take care of needy families and open up shelter beds to other homeless residents.

"As a community, we need to find a permanent solution, because even if the shelters provide a respite from the rain, it's still only a temporary solution, Barroga said.