Connections homeless shelter closing June 30

Mariposa County government officials and non-profit groups are scrambling to see if there is a way to keep a homeless shelter open — before it closes permanently.

Alliance for Community Transformations announced last week that Connections Emergency Shelter, located at 5069 St. Andrews Road, will close June 30.

“We’re not sure what’s going to happen,” said Maryanne Morro, one of 27 people living at the shelter.

“Because they can’t put us out on the street. There’s no possible way they could,” she said while standing in a drizzling rain last week, in a tone that sounded more like a question than a statement.

Alliance, the shelter’s umbrella organization, cited “organizational capacity and long-term operational sustainability” in a press release announcing its decision to shutter the shelter.

But those buzz words don’t begin to describe the turmoil the non-profit organization has endured in the last year, with leadership turnover and questions about how and where it was spending its money.

“This was a difficult decision that reflects ongoing operational realities and the organization’s current capacity,” said Hallie Wass, the CEO of Alliance, in a statement.

Wass, became CEO in March after the departure of Dr. Gary Damon. The Alliance and its board have declined interview requests.

Partners coming together

Mariposa County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is working with United Way and other community partners to identify housing options and a potential operator for the shelter.

“We are coming together to see what the future might look like,” said Janet Appling-Kasper, Chief Program Officer for United Way Merced and Mariposa.

Representatives from United Way inspected the property last week.

Appling-Kasper declined to offer specifics on the discussions, which are in the early stages, but added, “We need to build a good foundation and bring respect back.”

In some ways, the timing could work out.

Mariposa County government is closing in on the end of the fiscal year June 30 and HHSA will soon be issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for shelter operations. The county is hoping United Way, or perhaps a consortium of groups, might step up to run the shelter.

“We are working closely with the Alliance, United Way and other community partners to identify the possible solutions for the individuals currently at the Shelter,” said HHSA spokesperson Kazzandra Cunningham.

“They are committed to assisting with next steps and any potential future operations,” she said.

Where will they go?

For the 27 residents of Connections Emergency Shelter, its closing just adds to a life of uncertainty.

“It makes us stressed out a lot more right now,” said Morro, who lives at the shelter with a cat and her friend, Sean Henderson.

Morro said she moved to Catheys Valley six years ago to be with a longterm boyfriend until addiction derailed her life. She has been homeless for two years, she said.

“It’s hard when you have no stove, so you got to use a microwave or an air fryer,” she said.

She said she has few belongings because of the transient nature of her life.

“I can’t purge anymore, you know? If I purge anymore I’m not going to have anything to wear; nothing to eat,” she said.

Some of those displaced may qualify for housing through the Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) from the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

That fund has awarded $607,000 to Mariposa County, with $155,000 remaining, according to the agency’s dashboard.

Others at the shelter may find assistance through HHSA’s Housing Team, which conducts outreach and finds housing for participants. Other parts of that program focus on funding opportunities.

If Connections Emergency Shelter closes on June 30, HHSA will deconstruct 15 pallet shelters on site and place them into storage until a future use is identified or another location is found.

Those seeking shelter may also turn to United Way, which already provides case management services, known as CalAIM, that connect the homeless to more than 30 different programs.

CalAIM, which is financed through Medi-Cal, faces an uncertain future due to cutbacks from the Trump Administration’s so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, also known as HR 1, which has new requirements and restrictions.

Trouble with Alliance

The troubles with Alliance have been brewing for more than a year, and coincide with the arrival of Dr. Gary Damon as executive director in June 2025 and his management team, Pressure Point Consulting.

In November 2025, Alliance laid off 36 people from its various programs in Mariposa County, which at the time included CASA, Ethos Youth Center, Connections Emergency Shelter and Mountain Crisis Services.

Ethos Youth Center appears to have closed permanently in December.

Former employees told the Mariposa Gazette they were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, also known as NDAs.

The group’s board of directors issued a vague press release announcing the reduction in staff and declined to answer questions.

A 501c(3) non-profit, its most recent federal tax return is for 2023 and was submitted in August 2025.

It lists gross receipts of $7,445,693 and assets of $3,068,058. That year showed an operating loss of $153,935.

‘He got what he wanted’

Damon served for only 10 months as Alliance’s executive director and apparently left around February.

Alliance did not announce his departure and has not disclosed how much it paid Damon and his Tennessee based company Pressure Point Consulting.

Damon did not return an email or a phone call.

Morro, the woman without housing, has her own thoughts about Damon and his team’s management of Alliance for Community Transformations.

“He got what he wanted. He got enough money and he left Mariposa holding the bag,” Morro said.

Morro apologized for using a few choice curse words, and with that, she returned to the shelter as the rain began to pour.