Three homeless shelters are under consideration for the Monterey Peninsula.

For years, homeless advocates on the Monterey Peninsula have voiced the need for a shelter, to no avail. Each time a city or the county gets close to executing a plan, angry residents show up and the result is political paralysis.

The closest thing to an overnight shelter currently in operation is the One Starfish Program run by Orphan Productions, which manages its own overnight safe parking program for women on the Peninsula, and last year began managing a safe parking program as a contractor for Monterey County at a county-owned parking lot in Marina.

The push for a shelter just might have more traction now, as nonprofits are creating plans to use a portion of $12.5 million in one-time Homeless Emergency Aid Program funds approved by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017.

The money is designed to be used by local governments and nonprofits to create innovative ways to help the homeless, like adding more shelter beds, hiring caseworkers and housing specialists, or creating specialized outreach teams to work directly with people living in the streets.

Two shelters are currently being proposed by Monterey Peninsula nonprofits, and a third shelter is possible in a partnership between the city of Seaside and Monterey County, according to speakers at a HEAP informational meeting hosted on Jan. 10 by Monterey County Supervisors Jane Parker and Mary Adams. A standing-room-only crowd of about 60 people gathered to hear ideas. 

The Veterans Transition Center in Marina is proposing a warming shelter that would be available for all homeless—not just veterans—in the basement of its headquarters, Martinez Hall. VTC Deputy Executive Director Jack Murphy suggested there could even be space for families.

Murphy told the crowd that the hall, built in 1941, has a “massive” basement only half finished and it could be expanded. He estimates it could take six months and cost around $3.5 million to build.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Dalton, executive director of Gathering for Women, and Robin McCrae, CEO of Community Human Solutions—which operates a temporary shelter for youth called Safe Place—said they have been in talks to open a shelter to adult men and women. They promised more details would be made public in a few weeks.

Monterey County Resource Management Director Carl Holm explained that the county is in talks with the city of Seaside to turn a 4,300-square-foot modular building once used a decade ago by the Health Department (located behind the Social Services offices on Broadway Avenue) into a shelter. Exam rooms could be turned into rooms for families, Holm said.

“We’re looking at where’s the need and what is that so we can design the rooms accordingly, but also what other types of services do we want to have at those facilities," he said. "Laundry, showers—those do add cost.” The goal is to devise a well-thought-out plan before making a formal proposal for the HEAP funding.

Part of the requirement of HEAP is to use the funding within a two-year time frame. Holm believes rehabilitating a building the size of the former Health Department space is doable within that window.

Also required of cities and counties to participate is to formally declare a shelter crisis, which was done by Monterey County, Marina, Monterey, Salinas, Seaside and King City by last fall. The state combined Monterey County with San Benito County in the HEAP funding distribution, and that county also declared a crisis, as did the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista.

Pacific Grove declared a crisis on Dec. 19, 2018, but Carmel had not yet declared one. Officials at the Jan. 10 meeting said it’s not too late and they encouraged Carmel residents to lobby their city council to make the declaration and get involved in developing programs to help the homeless.

These Peninsula projects are moving parallel to plans in the city of Salinas, which in conjunction with Monterey County, is planning a shelter in North Salinas after years of debate over an appropriate location. While some neighbors continue to object to the location, officials are continuing to move forward. 

Editor's Note: This post originally incorrectly stated that Pacific Grove had not declared a crisis as of Jan. 10, 2019.