Elected officials and local leaders broke ground on Chula Vista's first shelter that will use individual units to support individuals, couples, and families.
The Homeless Bridge Shelter will develop 66 prefab housing units and two multi-purpose rooms with a total bed capacity of 138 on a city-owned parcel. The space, which resides on 205 27th Street, near the intersection of Faivre Street and Broadway, will also be pet friendly.
Chula Vista City Council unanimously approved a three-year, $5.7 million service provider agreement in May with Long Beach-based nonprofit City Net to operate the shelter. Brad Fieldhouse, president and executive director of City Net, said that “the non-congregate shelter, staffed 24-hours a day, with wraparound services will be a significant asset within this spectrum”.
City Net has worked with sites that housed 25 residents to over 100 in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Diego.
“This dirt will soon turn into something that looks like a little community, and that is the goal. This will be an incredible asset to the community,” Fieldhouse said. “Our goal is to create a system flow to build trust among those living on the street so we can help them navigate the system.”
Fieldhouse said that a goal is to help “many hundreds that will come through this facility to ultimately reengage as stable community members in their own housing environment".
"That is how we end homelessness, by getting people housed. We consider it a privilege to be part of that continuum,” Fieldhouse said.
The Chula Vista Police Department will work closely with City Net to ensure every client is vetted and provided a successful pathway, according to Chula Vista Police Department Executive Capt. Phil Collum.
“The shelter will have 24-hour security on site, and they will work with us, the City of Chula Vista, and community partners to ensure that this shelter and the surrounding community stay safe while helping to lift people out of homelessness,” Collum said.
According to Collum, Chula Vista’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) identified at least 700 unsheltered homeless people in 2021 and has offered resources to those in need through several partnerships with organizations, family health, municipal, and county agencies to “find a pathway toward healthier and safer living”.
“In the City of Chula Vista or anywhere within the region, being homeless is not a crime. Our homeless outreach team started—and still works today—under a model of compassion and care. They conduct outreach every single week. Our officers partnered with some of our many partners to go out into the community with the intention of connecting with the homeless population, following our compassionate policing strategy, and focusing on building trust,” Collum said.
The Chula Vista Homeless Bridge Shelter will include two trailers for showers, restrooms, laundry connections, and two 400-square-foot units for meals and case management. To decrease the impact on the surrounding neighborhood, bed availability will be handled through a reservation-based system, according to a city staff report. The shelter will prioritize the city’s homeless residents with long-term ties to the community and other relevant criteria such as level of vulnerability, frequency of service use, and seniors 60 and older.
City officials anticipate opening the shelter in late fall 2022.
