Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Monday the city will temporarily house homeless families with children in Golden Hall while a new bridge shelter is constructed.
The current tent at 14th and Commercial streets must be relocated in make way for a permanent affordable housing facility planned by Father Joe’s Villages.
“I am pleased to announce that we have identified a great new location for the shelter at 17th and Imperial in East Village, just a block away from (Father Joe’s) main campus, where families are supported every day with a variety of services,” said Faulconer in a tweet.
The bridge shelter was opened in January 2018 in the knowledge that it would eventually have to be moved.
“We are thankful for this temporary home for the women and families now staying the shelter we’ve been operating for the past year,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. “This is an encouraging example of nonprofits, local government and civic leaders working together to keep those experiencing homelessness safely off the streets.”
In April, the city will begin a three-month process of relocating and reconstructing the shelter on the new site. In the interim, the women and children from the bridge shelter will be staying in Golden Hall at Civic Center Plaza. The 80,000-square-foot venue has been underutilized in recent years.
Father Joe’s Villages is preparing to break ground on permanent housing for more than 500 homeless and low-income residents on the current shelter site.