The homeless shelter in Downtown Stockton that sent shockwaves throughout the county when it announced it would close this month will remain open for now with a new operator.
Last week, the City of Stockton announced that the St. Mary’s Dining Room – which has been providing services to the homeless in Downtown Stockton since 1955 – will step in and assume the sublease that will allow the facilities operated by the Stockton Shelter For the Homeless to remain in operation for the time being.
The announcement last month about the impending closure worried officials throughout the county about the possibility of the more than 200 shelter beds going away and the impact that would cause, but the announcement about a new operator appears to have alleviated those concerns.
“We are excited that we have been able to facilitate the assignment of the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless sublease to St. Mary’s Dining Room,” Stockton City Manager Harry Black said in a statement announcing the development. “From the onset of this ordeal, we have been pursuing multiple strategies and assignment of the sub lease has been one of the strategies.”
Fears about losing the 250-bed operation prompted Black to authorize a declaration of emergency that allowed for greater flexibility when searching for potential solutions to the issue. The Stockton Shelter for the Homeless had initially planned to cease operations effective today but offered to work with the city to secure additional funding to stay open beyond its expected closure date.
What prevented the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless from continuing to operate the facilities was not made clear by city officials, and the organization has included no updates on its website as to the reasons behind the move or what it meant for the future of the operation. The St. Mary’s Dining Room, in comparison, already has a banner across its homepage noting that it would be taking over the shelters.
The City of Stockton and the county had been looking at adding a low-barrier homeless shelter to the county last year – hoping to add 125 beds to address the shortfall of 160 beds that the city was facing as recently as October of 2022. The Stockton Shelter for the Homeless lists a groundbreaking that occurred in July of 2022 for a $5 million navigation center aimed at augmenting the services for the unhoused – using a business plan submitted by students from the University of the Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business, according to the press release on the group’s website.
In his statement, Black credited Stockton’s city staff for finding a workable solution.
“Resolving this matter has required a collective effort. Staff, across City government, have been working hard on this and in tandem with our external partners,” Black said. “We will continue to work towards a smooth transition, ensuring that the most vulnerable of our community have a roof over their heads and access to all necessary services.”
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
