More On The History Of That Homeless Shelter

Today, Dean Gray has helpfully provided another opinion piece in the Desert Local News, giving us more substantial information on how the surprise homeless shelter on Mountain View came about. He points us to the minutes for the November 28, 2007, meeting of the CVAG Homelessness Committee [PDF], a committee on which Desert Hot Springs city council member Yvonne Parks sat.

I know most people don't want to go to the effort to download a PDF and then paw through it to find the relevant bits, so I've done the work for you. Here's the part Dean Gray is talking about. It starts on page 5 in the PDF. I've added identifying information in square brackets:

9. WESTERN COACHELLA VALLEY COLD WEATHER SHELTERS EXPANSION

Dr. Stewart [Ron Stewart, Administrative Manager Homeless Projects County Public Social Services ] reported that the County's Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) has responded to a request from County Supervisor Roy Wilson's office to ensure that adequate capacity and resources would be available to meet demand during the coming cold weather sheltering season of December 1 through April 15. Managers from the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission (CVRM), Martha's Village and Kitchen, the City of Indio, and DPSS met in early October. It was learned that during the month of September approximately 52 people were turned away from the overflow shelter beds established at CVRM earlier in the summer. CVRM and Martha's reported that a number of those seeking shelter continue to come from the western Coachella Valley communities.

The sheltering capacity issue was presented to the Homelessness Committee at the October meeting. Following the meeting, DPSS approached Jewish Family Services of San Diego (JFS), and the current operator of the Coachella Valley Services and Overnight Shelter (SOS) Program, to consider expanding the SOS program during the cold weather period. In response, JFS has secured a temporary site in the City of Desert Hot Springs (DHS) and is planning to expand from the currently permitted 25 beds to 40 beds in one site. The doors will open this Saturday. Clients will be driven to and from the facility from designated pick up/drop off points within communities west of Cook Street. JFS will temporarily suspend the SOS rotation schedule and will remain stationed in DHS until the close of the cold weather period. JFS has asked for $82,000 to provide this expanded service. To make all this happen Dr. Stewart went back to his director and she forwarded him $20,000 to help get things going. DPSS respectfully requests that each of the nine member cities and the Agua Caliente tribe assist in sharing the cost of this cold weather shelter expansion with a contribution of $6,200 from each of the jurisdictions.

Linda Barrack [SOS Coordinator, Jewish Family Services of San Diego] said that she will be contacting each agency on scheduling pickup points, and that Calvary Chapel, on the corner of Dinah Shore and Cathedral Canyon, has already offered their space as a possible site for pickup.

Councilmember Vasquez [Councilmember Chuck Vasquez (Vice Chair) City of Cathedral City] stated that it is difficult for him to go before his City Council without knowing the input from the local organizations within their city, he will need to see that before he can take it before his city.

Mayor Pro Tem Benson [Mayor Pro Tem Jean Benson, City of Palm Desert] clarified that before they go to each of their cities they will receive packets with all the information, for them to take in January.

Councilmember Parks [Yvonne Parks, now Mayor of DHS] said that hopefully by the end of this meeting everyone can identify a preferred pickup spot within their community, that the organizations within that community will know, and be able to tell their clientele that at such and such a time, on such and such a day, the van will be there to pick you up to take you to a cold weather shelter and you will also be brought back to that same location the next morning.

Councilmember Osborne [Councilmember Lee Osborne City of La Quinta] asked who the jurisdictions would be donating this money to. Will it be the SOS Program? It will be Riverside County.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCILMEMBER YVONNE PARKS, CITY OF DESERT HOT SPRINGS, AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PATRICK MULLANY, CITY OF INDIAN WELLS, TO RECOMMEND THAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SUPPORT THE COUNTY'S REQUEST AND TO DIRECT STAFF TO DISTRIBUTE THE CONTRIBUTION REQUEST TO THE MEMBER JURISDICTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION AND ACTION. MOTION CARRIED.

Now, if you look at the list of the all the interested parties in attendance at this committee meeting, you might think that it wasn't exactly a "secret" decision. But it is unusual that this story remained so quiet until just recently. Why is Mayor Parks hiding her light under a bushel? One would think that since she voted for it, she would have reported it at a city council meeting. But there was an awful lot going on with getting the new city council going and everything. Slipped her mind, perhaps?