Town has no say over county plans
In a surprise move, the county will be leasing the Holiday Inn on Old Redwood Highway in Windsor as a temporary homeless shelter.
“I can confirm that the county has informed the town that it will be entering into a temporary lease for use of the Holiday Inn to house unsheltered individuals 65 years or older who are at risk of COVID exposure,” said town manager Ken MacNab on May 11. “Town staff first learned of the details at the end of the day last Thursday (May 6). We are closed on Friday and yesterday we drafted a press release that will go out later today along with social media posts and an FAQ document.”
The hotel will be turned into a “Temporary Non-Congregate Shelter Site, ”which is a shelter site that offers temporary shelter to unsheltered individuals who have not been diagnosed with coronavirus, but are considered at high risk of serious complications should they contract the virus, according to MacNab.
“Use of the hotel by the county of Sonoma as a temporary shelter site is considered a county government use and as such is exempted from local land use controls pursuant to California Government Code Section 53091,” the town said in the FAQ. “Further, the town is not party to the agreements between the county and the property owner or the county and the services management consultant. The county has shared example agreements with DEMA for management of non-congregate shelter sites with town staff that appear to address interests such as 24/7 on-site staff and security, on-site provision of services, and transportation.”
The Holiday Inn temporary shelter site is expected to open before the end of May and provide services through the end of 2021, according to MacNab.
According to the FAQ, “in general, people who live unsheltered or are unstably housed have more health conditions than those with homes. Non-Congregate sites shelter individuals experiencing homelessness who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, including those over the age of 65 and/or have underlying medical conditions. Individuals in these risk categories can experience more serious complications from COVID-19 than other members of the community.”
The site can accommodate up to 90 eligible individuals, and only those individuals who are unsheltered and who are over the age of 65 and/or have underlying medical conditions meet the criteria for placement at non-congregate site locations.
According to the town, the initial set of people being housed there will be up to 60 individuals from the Alliance Redwoods non-congregate site in west Sonoma County. They will be transferred to the Holiday Inn site because the Alliance site is closing. After that, placement of individuals at the Holiday Inn site will either be by transfer from other non-congregate sites or by referral through organizations that work directly with the homeless and other high-risk populations and outreach teams from the county and cities.
Services provided to the subjects staying at the Holiday Inn will include: 24/7 on-site care and security; regular testing for COVID-19; housing navigation, which helps move people into permanent housing, medical and behavioral health services; prepared meals and laundry services; and transportation by van and public transportation for those who receive a pass to leave for essential activities, such as a job or medical appointments
According to the town, shelter services at the Holiday Inn site will be provided by DEMA Consulting & Management (http://www.demacm.com/) under contract with the county of Sonoma. DEMA is experienced in providing shelter, meals, medical and other services to the county’s vulnerable homeless populations, providing services to similar shelter sites located at the Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg, the Astro Motel and Azura Hotel in Santa Rosa and the Sebastopol Inn in Sebastopol.
DEMA Consulting and Management will provide 24-hour contact information to resolve immediate fire, life safety and security concerns. On-site managers at the Holiday Inn site can be reached by calling 707-326-3064.
The Times reached out to county supervisor James Gore’s office for additional information on this story, but has not yet heard back from them. Please check back for updates on this developing story.
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County to take over hotel, create temporary homeless shelter in Windsor - Sonoma West
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