Stockton declares emergency ahead of homeless shelter's closing, 250 people at risk
STOCKTON -- The City of Stockton enacted an emergency declaration in response to the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless' notification two weeks ago they would close their doors in 30 days.
Stockton's City Manager Harry Black told CBS13 the shelter notified the city via email that they would close, effective August 15. The emergency declaration was declared shortly after, Black said, to expedite the process of hiring an organization to run the day-to-day operations at the shelter.
The declaration allows Black to authorize and allocate funding to enter a contract with a new service provider. Right now, he said, St. Mary's Dining Room, located next door to the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless, is in negotiations with the city to take on the shelter's operations.
"Stockton Shelter for the Homeless leadership has indicated that, with financial assistance from the City, they will remain open past their announced closing date to support and assist with an orderly transition, which the City appreciates." the city wrote in a public statement out Monday afternoon.
"Plan A is successfully executing a sublease agreement with St Mary's Dining Room. If that's not successful, then plan B is execute a sublease with another alternative organization which we're also in discussions with, and plan C is the city manager will go over and put on work clothes and help the place operate," said Black.
The cost to keep the shelter functioning is $2-3 million annually, Black said.
"The key is for something as serious as this, you find the money. This is something that you can't not do. This is something that you must do," said Black.
Homeless advocate Nancy Lamb, the president of Stockton 209 Cares, told CBS13 she has three families she is currently working with that are scared for the end of August — if there's a gap in services at Stockton Shelter for the Homeless — that they may be put out on the street."
"Are they going to go back out into the streets? Are they gonna have someplace to go?" said Lamb.
Lamb said the shelter is the only one that houses families in Stockton and she said, if she has to, she will look to other cities to house families together.
There is an emergency city council meeting on Thursday to ratify the emergency declaration. Black explained, as per city bylaws, when an emergency declaration is declared, the council has one week to vote on it and approve it.