LAKE COUNTY >> While Lake County works to rebuild the homes people lost in the Valley Fire, churches hope to help those who didn’t have one before the blaze.
Led by Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist member Taylor Johnson, Christian ministers from around the county want to create a warming shelter for the region’s homeless to protect them from the elements.
At the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting on Tuesday, the group — which also included Rev. Shannon Kimbell-Auth of United Christian Parish in Lakeport and Pastor Randy Brehms of Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church — presented its idea to create the center that should open in early January and run through April 1.
“The county is extremely stressed right now,” Brehms said. “We are trying to help people and keep them from freezing to death.”
Along with “the prevention of mortality and morbidity related to exposure to the elements,” the proposal outlined two additional goals: to connect homeless individuals with appropriate continuum of care (CoC) services and gather information on Lake County’s homeless.
Johnson explained the importance of those latter goals because rural awareness of homelessness is small in comparison to urban environments due to lack of resources and researchers. In Lake County alone, 170 people identified as homeless in January, according to the presentation.
Although action wasn’t required by the BOS, the group did ask the board to see if resources can be devoted towards the center, especially funding, security, and transportation.
According to Johnson, those exact details and solutions haven’t been worked out.
“It’s hard to specify a number,” she told the Record-Bee. “What we could really use is security. That is potentially the most costly of all the issues.”
Efforts have been made to reach out to the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies to handle overnight security at the proposed shelter, which is planned to be at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At least two guards will be needed every night from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. The group said it received an estimate from a security company for $6,000 a month.
The shelter would require volunteers from other faith based organizations that would help serve hot meals and beverages to those that visit and a “grab and go” breakfast in the morning.
However, the church is not centrally located as it is on Park Way and Hill Road. To solve for the issue, Johnson’s group hopes to coordinate with Lake Transit Authority to give free rides to those needing to visit the shelter. She plans to be at its next meeting on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
“Most people are very resourceful,” she said. “But for those that may not have that information, we want to make sure it’s available to them.”
Overall, the board expressed support, but issues and concerns were raised, including the separation of church and state. Most importantly, they were concerned with cost as the BOS is stretched financially due to the fire.
“Resources are scarce,” District 4 Supervisor and Chair Anthony Farrington said. “We are confronted draconian costs with this fire.”
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown also had some comments, noting that a similar effort, Lake Family Resource, was previously attempted in Clearlake. Brown said that facility faced a myriad of issues, mainly security.
When asked about the board’s comments, Johnson remained optimistic about the project.
“I felt that they understand that is something that is needed,” she said. “They were very receptive and willing to help in any ways they can. “
