Refurbished shipping containers once used to move goods around the world are the next step in Manteca’s efforts to get the homeless off the streets.

The Manteca City Council Monday agreed to accept eight such units from Fresh Start Charities.

The 8-by 20-foot shipping containers are being converted into studio apartments.

They will be used to house the homeless that have navigated basic issues to work toward getting off the streets to transition back into society with the goal of being able to secure their own housing,

The eight container homes complete with insulation as well as heating and cooling will initially be located at the city’s emergency shelter at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

Eventually, they could be relocated to the back of the 8-acre parcel the city obtained at 682 South Main Street for affordable housing project as well as the homeless navigation center expected to break ground in early 2025.

Although details were scant, the container housing used in other cities such as Denver and Atlanta consist of a small bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a bedroom/living area.

Experts say giving each resident their own living space as well as  a bathroom and kitchen is a crucial step to help homeless to complete their transition from the streets.

Aside from a typical prohibition on overnight guests, “tenants” are treated as independent residents and have their own key.

As such, the shipping container housing offers a degree of privacy and security not found in congregate shelters or encampments.

The council on Monday also authorized spending $331,000 to secure a third homeless dorm at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

Each modular dorm accommodates 25 people.

The women’s dorm last month had 18 beds in use.

The men’s dorm was full, with two of the beds reserved by use of Manteca Police to get homeless off the streets.

There are currently 13 men on a waiting list.

The goal is to transfer those in dorm who successfully access services designed to help them get off the streets into the container housing as a transition move toward permanent housing.

Typically, those in transition housing focus on securing a job and position themselves to move on.

At the request of Councilman Dave Breitenbucher to address misinformation circulating on social media, staff made it clear funding for the third dorm — just like the first two — is not coming from the general fund that covers the cost of day-to-day municipal services such as police, fire, and street maintenance.

The funds being used are federal Community Development Block Grants that can only be used to provide services and such to the low-income and/or low income neighborhoods.

Also, the dorms are for the use of Manteca’s efforts to get the homeless off the streets and not other nearby communities such as Lathrop, Ripon, and Escalon as claimed on social media.

City Manager Toni Lundgren said the misconception could be traced back to when the city first secured the $16 million grant from the state to build a homeless navigation center and local officials were asked whether it would be a regional facility.

In came up in the context of Manteca possibly contracting with smaller cities that would pay pro-rated costs.

Lundgren on Monday — as she did two years ago — made it clear the city is not entertaining such an arrangement.

The last point in time count conducted in January put Manteca’s homeless population at 238.

If every bed once the third dorm and container housing was used, that would only accommodate 83 homeless individuals.

Councilman Mike Morowit noted outreach workers have confirmed the overwhelming of majority of homeless in the city have ties to Manteca.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com