Officials sign off on $10,000 payment to open facility
Gilroy – Homeless people in Gilroy will have an additional week of shelter from the elements, thanks to the re-opening of the National Guard Armory through Saturday.
Gilroy officials signed off on a $10,000 payment to re-open the facility on an emergency basis starting Monday night. The nonprofit EHC Lifebuilders, in San Jose, typically operates homeless shelters during winter months at the armories in Gilroy and Sunnyvale. The Gilroy opening comes 10 days after the official end of the shelter season in March, as forecasters predict additional wet weather in an unusually long rainy season.
EHC originally hoped to operate the Sunnyvale facility through April, but said in its announcement of the Gilroy re-opening that they could only rent space in either armory through April 15.
The funds originally intended to operate the North County facility will help defray the costs for re-opening the South County facility, according to Gilroy Housing Coordinator Marilyn Roaf. She said the city’s contribution has been “provisionally” approved in the event EHC requires the funds. The nonprofit is also seeking financial assistance from community residents and the City of Morgan Hill.
“With the predicted weather, it will help people for at least a week,” Roaf said.
She expressed hope that EHC would have a new permanent shelter constructed in north Gilroy in time for next winter. The nonprofit group is currently building an emergency shelter at 9369 Monterey St. that offers 140 beds for single adults and families, along with job training, counseling and other services. The shelter is being built in conjunction with a 60-unit low-income apartment complex, collectively known as the Sobrato Transitional Center.
“It will be great if they get that permanent shelter done in time for the winter,” Roaf said, “so that next year we won’t have to scramble (in case of bad weather).”
The Gilroy National Guard Armory, located at 8490 Wren Ave., houses up to 125 people each night.
