Just shy of three and a half years ago, the H.O.M.E. Resource Center project began. Local elected officials gathered Tuesday, Nov. 21, to celebrate the anticipated opening of San Benito County’s new homeless shelter located at 1161 San Felipe Rd. in Hollister. At the ribbon cutting, attended by roughly 40 people, speeches were given to commemorate this long awaited event, including an award presented on behalf of Assemblymember Anna Caballero by Field Representative Eduardo Cuevas. Through email correspondence Caballero said, “By providing housing and critical resources that will lift residents in California’s rural communities toward a more equitable future, the Housing Opportunity Meals Empowerment (H.O.M.E.) Resource Center is building significant and lasting change for San Benito County residents in need. I am honored to provide a certificate recognizing the H.O.M.E. Resource Center’s grand opening and its pivotal role in the community, and I commend their consistent efforts to empower vulnerable populations”.
These efforts, which started in the early 2000s, according to County Supervisor Robert Rivas, were made to support the homeless population in San Benito County and could not have been done without the joint effort of the county and city of Hollister. Local elected officials took a moment to give themselves a round of applause and appreciate that the much discussed structure was complete. Mayor Ignacio Velazquez who attended a conference in Santa Barbara on how to help the homeless population learned that, “without a home base you have nothing,” and as a result getting a facility to support the homeless population in San Benito County was the, “beginning of a solution, but not a complete answer”. The next step in this process, according to Jim Rydingsword, the Health and Human Services Agency Director of San Benito County, is helping patrons get services to transition into permanent housing. “There’s no reason every community in the country can’t create a solution,” Rydingsword said.
Rivas further explained, “this is not only a shelter, but a place people can get services”. Located next to the H.O.M.E. Resource Center are multiple facilities to help service the homeless population. These facilities include San Benito County America’s Job Center of California, San Benito County Behavioral Health Department, and the Community Pantry of San Benito County. Services available at the shelter will include overnight services, help finding employment, services to help make appointments, as well as transitional housing in the future. Though this shelter is countywide, it will not provide services for children as it is an adult only shelter according to Rydingsword.
Located on the edge of town in Hollister, Regina Valentine who works for the San Benito County Local Transportation Authority, explained that transportation to the facility will be accessible to people wanting to come to the H.O.M.E. Resource Center. “We will be helping people have access and mobility getting here,” Valentine shared, further stating that this facility is important as it gives, “people options and opportunities. People are in a tough spot in this situation. This provides services”. The County Express Red Line service currently has a stop that is located next to the H.O.M.E. Resource Center. Rydingsword shared that for the times that the County Express is not a transportation option a 14 person van will be used by the facility.
All people interviewed at the event expressed their gratitude to the community for supporting the county and city of Hollister in their joint effort to help solve the issue of homelessness in San Benito County. As Velazquez stated in his speech, “Partnerships is the answer to how this happened”.
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