The We Care men’s homeless shelter will reopen Friday after a one-month closure.
Sandy Singh, the president of We Care’s board of directors, announced this week that the shelter was back in business after receiving a combined $100,000 in funding from a trio of benefactors — Stanislaus Community Foundation ($60,000), United Way ($20,000) and Kaiser ($20,000).
“That’s enough to keep us open for about three months,” said Singh, who estimates the shelter can operate on a shoestring budget of around $30,000 to $35,000 per month. “But we’ve applied for other grants and we’ve had success with them in the past.”
In addition to the shelter, We Care faces additional annual costs running the Permanent Supportive Housing program, the Rapid Rehousing program, and its six low-income apartments.
Singh said that We Care has applied for a $200,000 Emergency Solutions Grant ($80,000 would go toward Rapid Rehousing and $120,000 for the shelter), and two Community Development Block Grants (one is a $172,715 substance-use grant in partnership with La Familia; the other is a $35,000 grant for the shelter alone).
“Right now, it’s all hands on deck,” said Singh. “But I feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
Typically, the shelter closes for two weeks in July — when nighttime temperatures hover near 70 degrees — for cleaning and maintenance of the shelter. But this year, We Care faced a budget crunch brought about by the city of Turlock’s decision not to help the shelter secure nearly $270,000 in grant funds.
By a 3-2 vote — Mayor Amy Bublak and councilmembers Rebecka Monez (District 2) and Erika Phillips (District 4) voted against, while Kevin Bixel (District 1) and Cassandra Abram (District 3) voted in favor — the council opted not to contribute $1 and a letter of support that would secured the funds.
At the heart of the squabble was the city’s desire for We Care to provide 24-hour access to restrooms. The shelter's residents must exit each morning at 8 a.m., resulting in a 10-hour stretch that they don’t have access to restrooms. The issue became a political volleyball, and the sides never reached an agreement.
We Care is still looking to hire two full-time and two part-time shelter attendants, and has spots open on its dinner calendar. Members of the community can visit WeCareTurlock.org or send an email to info@WeCareTurlock.org to volunteer to prepare and serve dinner for the shelter’s 49 nightly residents.
The shelter is located at 219 S. Broadway.
