River shelter opens Friday in Vets Hall

Critics feel shelter is unfair burden for River
community
Guerneville’s emergency winter homeless shelter may be closely
watched again this year when it opens Friday (Nov. 25) in the
Veterans Auditorium on First Street.
West County Community Services (WCCS) Executive Director Katrina
Thurman announced the shelter opening this week and stood by a
previous announcement that promised shelter to all homeless West
County residents who need a warm place to sleep at night.
The shelter’s appeal to out-of-towners caused problems last year
and has alarmed some River residents who see a repeat of the
vagrancy and associated issues if the shelter serves the entire
West County.
“We sincerely apologize for the misperception that WCCS staff
had promised the community a shelter that would exclusively serve
Guerneville homeless,” said Thurman in an e-mail regarding this
year’s shelter operation.
“For over six years the shelter has had a mission to serve West
County homeless adults,” said Thurman. “The WCCS responsibility to
our funding agency is to serve the entire region,” said
Thurman.
“There has been a concerted, committed effort by WCCS to
pre-screen and promote the shelter to ONLY those local to West
County – and a promise to deny shelter access to anyone from
outside of the West County region,” said Thurman. “That promise to
the community is unwavering and will be upheld throughout the
winter season.”
So far 22 individuals are pre-registered and all are from the
lower Russian River, said Thurman.
Shelter critics, which includes most of the downtown Guerneville
business community, are still asking why Guerneville should have to
bear the burden of housing homeless from areas such as Sebastopol,
which have more comprehensive resources available ranging from law
enforcement to medical aid.
“A small rural community shouldn’t bear the burden of the entire
West County,” said Guerneville resident Barbara DeCarly in a
scathing e-mail last week critical of WCCS.
DeCarly and others fear a repeat of problems connected to last
year’s “behavior-based” emergency shelter that allowed people in
who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol as long as they
behaved themselves.
“What’s going to be different this year?” said DeCarly.
“Even the long-time local homeless individuals were fearful of
the out-of-area element that WCCS recruited to Guerneville,” said
DeCarly.
“Perhaps Forestville, Occidental, Sebastopol, Bodega, Sonoma
Coast and Graton should also step up to the plate and take some
responsibility.”
WCCS intends to provide “a basic, life-saving place for homeless
adults in western Sonoma County to sleep indoors during winter
months,” said a WCCS fact sheet regarding this year’s
operation.
The shelter population will be limited to people from west
Sonoma County, which means individuals from outside west Sonoma
County will be allowed one night of shelter and will get a bus pass
to access other shelters in the county, according to the WCCS fact
sheet.
The shelter will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily with at
least one meal provided to residents daily.
“Services are minimal with floor mats and bedding provided.
Referrals to employment, substance abuse, counseling, and other
services will be made when staff are available,” says the fact
sheet.
Once a week a health outreach worker will provide basic medical
screenings and referrals to the local Russian River Health
Center.
The shelter will operate as a behavior-based program whereby
individuals “who are willing and able to agree to a set of
behavioral standards while in the shelter and in the community will
be granted access to the shelter,” said the fact sheet.
“Those who cannot adhere to the behavioral standards will be
temporarily or permanently prohibited from receiving shelter
services (based upon the severity of the issue).
“No alcohol or drugs are ever permitted on site and a violation
of this policy will result in expulsion from the shelter.”