The Connections Emergency Shelter will remain open through the end of July.
The shelter, which houses somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 people who do not have housing, was scheduled to close earlier this week but that has changed.
Hallie Wass, the CEO of Alliance for Community Transformations, said funding has been secured to keep the shelter up and running through July in order for Mariposa County officials to have some time to find another organization to operate the facility.
“It is funding and capacity,” said Wass in an interview last week.
That funding, she said, comes from a wide range of state and federal grants and she said there is just not enough money to keep the vital operation functioning under the umbrella of Alliance.
“Alliance grew too fast over the years in trying to sustain operations,” she said.
Wass said that growth could not keep up with the increasing demands of the group, including Connections.
The transition
In May, the group announced its intent to “transition away from operating the shelter,” according to a press release issued by Alliance. That was when the June 30 closure was announced.
But since that time, Wass said it has become apparent another group would simply not have enough time to take over operations.
“The extension provides valuable time to continue serving shelter clients, support our staff and allow Mariposa County’s RFP (request for proposal) process to move forward,” said Wass in the press release. “We remain committed to working collaboratively with community partners as the transition continues.”
“It makes me happy,” said Mariposa County Supervisor Jenni Kiser, whose district includes the town of Mariposa. “We have got to keep that place open. I am glad for the extension.”
But the county’s RFP only provides $150,000 for prospective groups and Wass said that isn’t enough. It’s why Wass is hoping the extension will allow whoever gets the bid to secure additional funding to continue to operate the shelter.
Kiser, too, is hopeful the extra time will allow a group to come in and take over the shelter.
“I feel confident we are doing everything we can as a county,” said Kiser.
Connections is located an a privately owned piece of property on St. Andrews Road in the area near the hospital.
She said the property owner has agreed to a month-to-month extension for leasing the land. That had expired in April but now it has been extended and could possibly go through August, though Wass said the July deadline for Alliance is solid and cannot be changed.
Wass said the main obstacles for Alliance is quite simple: funding and staffing.
As it stands, Connections is “not fully funded,” said Wass, and that funding cannot be obtained at present. In addition, she said the shelter is understaffed.
“There is not enough staffing to operate,” said Wass.
Currently, she said there are roughly 10 people staffing Connections. But that includes full-time, part-time and part-time extra help. She said it is not sustainable.
The shelter, which at last count had 25 people, operates 24/7, she noted, and has people with addiction problems, mental health issues and more.
“It is a valuable resource,” she admitted. “For the people and the community. I am concentrating on staff and that is important to me.”
Shaping the group
The Alliance, in general, has been under public scrutiny for more than a year, including the controversial leadership of Gary Damon, who was brought in by the board of directors to run the organization.
Damon led the effort which resulted in mass layoffs of employees as well as the closure of some of the programs associated with Alliance.
That led to a tumultuous period for the organization, one that appears to be continuing with the lack of funding cited by Wass.
She said Alliance relies heavily on state and federal grants, saying there are “so many grants” and it takes a major effort to get them secured as well as keep up with all of the requirements. There is also the issue of major cutbacks of grant funding from the federal government spearheaded by the Trump administration.
“I want to make sure all positions are funded,” she said.
The portfolio of Alliance is vast and includes Mountain Crisis Services, Valley Crisis Center (in Merced), Ethos Youth Center, Mariposa Heritage House, CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) of Mariposa and Connections emergency shelter.
It remains unclear at this point what programs will remain under the Alliance as some have closed.
But it is clear that Connections will no longer be a part of the group after July.
Wass said the Alliance will continue working with county officials and “community partners” as the transition to another organization unfolds.
She is also hopeful that when an organization does take over the program, it can work with the property owners so it can remain at the current location.
“I am hoping they can come into the property and assume it the way it is,” said Wass.
Keeping the facilities?
At Connections, there are pallet shelters in place, which are small, self-contained units where people can sleep as well as live. There is also a communal shower/restroom area and another building that also houses people in a dorm-type setting.
It remains unclear if those facilities will continue to operate when another organization takes over. In fact, it remains unclear if the shelter will continue to operate at all if a new organization can’t be found.
Wass said it is her understanding that “three or four” groups have shown an interest in taking over Connections but none of that will be clear until the county finalizes the RFP process.
The Gazette reached out to the California Office of Emergency Services, which provides various grant funding for Alliance and hundreds of groups around the state.
Ed Chapuis, assistant Cal OES director of Crisis Communication and Public Affairs, said the organization does not provide funding specifically for the Connections shelter.
“The Alliance for Community Transformations is a sub-recipient of seven grants through the Cal OES Victims Services Branch,” wrote Chapuis in an email. “All seven of those grants are still active. And none of those grants provides funding for the Connections homeless shelter operated by the Alliance for Community Transformations.”
In California, there are many laws and regulations in place regarding homeless people and the services which must be provided. In general, funding comes from state resources but in most cases, the oversight is at the county level.
The Connections shelter was put in place following the closure of a homeless encampment which was located near the Mariposa County Health and Human Services building for many years. The county was critical in getting Connections up and running but it was Alliance which took over the daily operations of the program — including the funding.
Current status
Kiser provided some statistics which were recently collected by county officials regarding homeless people in Mariposa.
The data indicates that 12 to 15 people are currently camping along the Mariposa Creek Parkway. The survey estimates that at least 10 of them have local connections.
At the shelter, during the time the survey was taken, there were 21 people being assisted. That has grown to about 25, according to Wass.
The survey said there are six people with “long term” ties to Mariposa and another 11 have been in Mariposa for at least three years. Four, it stated, recently arrived in Mariposa.
Another part of the survey indicated 14 people actively working with Mariposa County Health and Human Services, Connections staff or others to “support potential transition” to permanent housing.
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