RESCUE MISSION SEEKS TO OPEN SHELTER SITE
Site planned for 30 or more Pallet shelters, overnight parking
OROVILLE » An effort to open a low-barrier shelter site in Oroville is being made to accommodate homeless people living on public property.
The Oroville Rescue Mission is working with the Oroville City Council to open a site called Mission Esperanza with 30 or more Pallet brand shelters and overnight trailer parking.
“What this is is to help mitigate the homeless crisis. And so this is going to be more of a low-barrier shelter compared to the (original) shelter,” said Allan Dikes, executive director of the Oroville Rescue Mission.
To become more low-barrier, Dikes said the plan is to have a place for residents’ dogs, a place for tent camping and a place for motorhomes or possibly cars.
“It’s a place for the community (to) send people. Instead of saying, ‘you can’t be here,’ now we have a place to send them.”
Dikes said the site’s plans, its environmental impact report and policies are still in the workings. The current planned policy for sobriety at the shelter site is that entry is allowed into the site without a sobriety requirement, but use of alcohol or drugs on the site will be restricted.
“Every community has to have a certain amount of rules. But we’re trying to take away as many reasons as possible for people to say why they can’t be here,” Dikes said.
The location of the shelter site is a parcel of land right next to the Oroville Rescue Mission on the 4200 block of Lincoln Boulevard. An old warehouse on the property is planned to be renovated into an office space to house employment and social services as well as behavioral health services.
“It’s the same model as others; get as many services as possible to get them back on their feet,” Dikes said.
Dikes said the project is still in its early stages and the City Council has been supportive in helping the Oroville Rescue Mission get grants to help fund the shelter site.
Annie Terry, continuum of care representative for Oroville Rescue Mission, said different members of the City Council are amenable to the idea of selling a parcel of land behind the mission to expand parking space.
Annie Terry and her late husband Steve Terry pursued the idea of increasing shelter space two years ago. They approached the city with the proposition to incorporate the mission into the city to create zoning for a shelter.
“Rather than try to fight against the city to put a shelter in place where the citizenry did not want it, the Rescue Mission already exists. That way we were working alongside the city rather than against the city,” Terry said.
The Oroville Rescue Mission has been operating since 1972 and Dikes said he hopes the community will back it up in doing the job the mission has already been doing.
“There’s been a lot of members of the community that are wanting to help out, and they just don’t know how to help. But it’s to the point they’re offering their services and skills to get things done,” Dikes said.