The Connections Emergency Shelter for the homeless, a program of the Alliance for Community Transformations, is on the Board of Supervisors agenda on July 6th for discussion of contract renewal and there has been some concern that the program does not have the support of enough of the Board. We are trying to get a group of people to come and show their support for the program.
There are several ways to show your support for this program:
- attend the Board of Supervisors meeting,
- call into the meeting to provide public comment, or
- provide a written comment.
If you would like to call in on July 6th, the phone number is: 1 (224) 501-3412, Access code 380-677-133
If you would like to submit a written comment, you may do so at this website:
http://mariposacountyca.iqm2.com/citizens/default.aspx?
It is Item H2 on the agenda.
If you care about this issue, or just care about not seeing individuals sleeping in doorways or in the park, please attend the meeting, call in, or write a letter encouraging them to approve the renewal of their contract with ACT. Feel free to ask questions to
Alison Tudor, ACT Exec Director
alison@alliance4you.org
Office: 209.742.6456
Here is some information on the Connections Program
Connections Emergency Shelter was opened in September of 2019, only 6 months before the COVID restrictions were put in place. The Shelter has the capacity for 40 individuals, but that has been reduced by half over the last 16 months. We have not had a single case of COVID at the shelter and have had amazing success in getting residents vaccinated. Even with the challenges of COVID, Connections has been able to provide many supports to our houseless population; here are some of our statistics since the program opened:
- 139 people have been housed at Connections
- 20 people have found permanent housing
- 12 animals have been housed with their owners and provided veterinarian services and behavioral training if needed
- 6% of residents are veterans
- 87% of residents have ties to Mariposa County
- 5 individuals are currently employed, but cannot afford rent
- 33% have physical or mobility challenges
- 55% struggle with mental illness
- 41% have a chronic health condition
Having Connections in town is vital to the success of our residents. They are close to services and importantly, healthcare. Many of our residents suffer from serious health issues and need emergency or primary care on a regular basis. This care would be limited to them if Connections was located outside of town.
Connections has a good neighbor policy that all residents read and sign upon their intake. While there are the occasional bumps in the road, our relationships with individuals living in the neighborhood are good.
14% of Connections residents have found employment during their stay and staff work to provide transportation to and from their work sites. This would not be possible if Connections was located outside of town.
Furthermore, if Connections has to shut down, our homeless community would be legally entitled to sleep/congregate on any public property per the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
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Our weekly PM Board Zoom meetings have resumed. We meet via Zoom on Sundays at 11am. We do occasionally have outdoor excursions for our meetings.
Our next PM Board Zoom meeting is Sunday, July 11th at 11am. If you'd like to attend, click PM Zoom Meetings.
We will resume regular monthly general meetings in September!
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Donations are welcome to defray program costs, website hosting, advertising, office supplies, and other operating expenses - every little bit helps!
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Have a topic you'd like us to explore at a General Meeting? Have something we should add to the calendar? Have a question or concern you'd like us to explore or research? You're always welcome to send us an email at info@progressivemariposa.org!
Keep tuned in to our Facebook page, website, and these emails for the latest information and Calls to Action.
Thank you all, for all that you do!
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