FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A former Motel 6 now provides shelter for about 200 people at a time, primarily those who are unhoused or recently discharged from the hospital.
On Friday, Fresno city and county officials announced the program will soon shut down.
Residents say it’s more than just a building, it’s a trusted resource, a safe space, a home.
“A lot of these people have never even touched the bed before so for them to have a place to provide housing is a big, big deal,” resident Elias Aguilar said.
The shelter has operated on Blackstone for about a year but in October the original operators announced a sudden closure.
“We received a lot a lot of complaints. Ultimately, what ended up happening the funding for soul housing got discontinued,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said.
In less than 24 hours, local non-profit RH Community Builders took over the building and made sure none of the residents lost housing and vital care.
But now with this closure, they plan to move folks to another location in the city.
“We’re not going to transition and put people on the streets. We’re going to transition out and put people into permanent housing and make sure we have a place for those folks to stay,” Dyer said.
The city and county say they are shifting their approach to the homelessness crisis.
They plan to reduce number of emergency shelters and eventually close all of them.
Instead, they will focus on building permanent housing and providing resources.
“What we were doing was essentially re-shuffling folks around. I think with this new era of collaboration that’s going to end,” Fresno County supervisor Luis Chavez said.
With a growing need, Fresno says they are bolstering the construction of permanent housing.
This year, the city is on target for about 800 units and in 2026, they hope to have 1,600.
“For everyone person you put into emergency shelter one more person is becoming homeless so that’s a challenge that we face today. We know that we have to have a long-term strategy. We can’t do it alone,” Dyer said.
As part of the effort to provide resources, the city, county and state came together to host a resource fair for the residents of the closing shelter.
Dozens given direct access to the DMV, Veterans Affairs, County Behavioral Health, and more. Allowing folks to register for real ID’s and connect to care.
“The biggest issue was housing and employment. A lot of us don’t have (any) avenues to go, no jobs,” resident Dereck Dijion said. “You have to want the help. Some people don’t know the avenue to take. It’s always good to reach out.”
Mayor Dyer says the emergency shelters were never meant to be permanent. Most were funded through “Project Homekey,” a state grant launched during the pandemic.
He adds the city has a plan to phase out shelters across Fresno over the next few years, with the transition expected to continue through 2028.
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