Proposed $12M site for Merced County homeless moves forward. Will aid families, veterans
Beginning steps for Merced County Rescue Mission’s vision of a new $12 million, 5-acre campus for the homeless were approved this month by the Merced County Planning Commission.
This means more men, women and families in need are closer to receiving necessary resources and shelter as the Merced County’s homeless population grows.
“We are trying to significantly reduce homelessness in Merced city and county, and just reach people who need to have some hope in their life,” Rescue Mission CEO Bruce Metcalf said. “We see that as something that would help our whole community.”
Rescue Mission’s former site was torn down in 2017 on account of the 100-year old building on Canal Street not being up to code. The empty 5-acre parcel two block south of the Merced County Fairgrounds was purchased in 2018.
The number of people in Merced County who are homeless rose by more than 18% in 2019 to 607.
The count found 93 more people homeless than the 514 reported in 2018 — including 108 children.
An updated count of Merced County’s homeless population is coming soon, as 2020’s numbers were approved Wednesday, said Tim Adam, Rescue Mission chief operations officer.
Merced City and County Continuum of Care will be releasing those numbers, he said, noting there appeared to be more new homeless people in the county.
With its new campus, Rescue Mission’s intends to provide expanded residential programs that aid homeless people in taking next steps towards independence.
“Everyone on the campus will be referred, no one just walks in from the street,” Metcalf said. Individuals are then referred to different programs based on their needs and placed in permanent housing once they complete it.
With the Planning Commission’s approval received, next steps include getting the building plans checked off, completing contractor bids and finalizing the contractor with the Board of Supervisors.
The firs buildings for the new campus are on track to hopefully break ground in August, Metcalf said.
What will be on campus?
The new campus, coined Village of Hope, raises Rescue Mission’s program capacity from 50 individuals and three families to 114 individuals and 13 families. It also envisions expanded space for veterans, pregnant women and respite care.
“Merced really doesn’t have a whole lot for families who are homeless,” Metcalf said, noting that the programs will help children stay in school and parents keep jobs.
The different programs allow flexibility for individuals in different situations. For example, a woman sheltered in the facility for pregnant women can transition into one of the apartments for families once her child is born.
Hope Medical Respite Care is slated as the campus’s first facility to break ground this summer.
Working with Dignity Health, the building can accommodate 32 homeless individuals for two-to-four week stays after they’ve been discharged from the hospital.
“If respite care wasn’t around when homeless were discharged from the hospital, they would just go back to the street,” Adam said. “Respite care gives them a place to be discharged where they can heal up properly.”
While people are recovering, Rescue Mission will help locate permanent housing. Metcalf said a home is found for over half of the individuals who come through their respite program.
The facility will have sobering rooms for men and women, a medical examination room, a commercial kitchen and a dining room.
Funding needed
The Rescue Mission is still collecting money for the project’s estimated $12 million price tag. Grant funding in the amount of about $3.3 million allows the Hope Medical Respite Care facility to come to fruition.
Rescue Mission is pursuing a $3 million grant for the family and veteran facilities. Metcalf said he hopes groundbreaking for the family and veteran facilities will begin within a few months after the respite care facility happens.
Donor funding is being sought for the faith-based buildings, which include classrooms, offices, a chapel and facilities for men and women. Rescue Mission’s Building Hope Campaign seeks to reach around $3 million for these initiatives.
These facilities will likely take a couple more years to begin construction. “The timing for breaking ground on those will be contingent on the funds,” Metcalf said.
The facility for pregnant women is also donor-based, with a goal of $1 million. Donations can be made online or mailed to P.O. Box 3319, Merced, CA 95344.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 4:12 PM.
