Photos Melania Mahoney
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After a hospital stay, Michael, a disabled veteran, found temporary shelter here. It was clean and safe, a sanctuary when he most needed one.
Eric, an experienced but homeless carpenter, was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and working through problems with the Department of Motor Vehicles when he was invited to stay. In an environment that encouraged self-reliance, he built a storage shed for the shelter before finding a job and moving on.
Officially, the house adjacent to the dog park on First Street West is the Sonoma Emergency Shelter. To the temporarily homeless like Michael and Eric, with hot meals and a place to sleep, it’s known as The Haven.
The four-bedroom, nine-bed facility is run, under a contract with the city, by Sonoma Overnight Support, a non-profit corporation with the mission of providing emergency shelter and connections to other social service agencies.
“We don’t make judgments about people,” said Executive Director William Burrell, an aspiring Deacon in the Episcopal Church. If a homeless person clears an interview and signs the contract – no to drugs, alcohol and bad manners; yes to respecting others, chores and self-help – he or she (the client) can stay up to three weeks; single or couples, with or without children.
“It’s care, not cure,” Burrell said. ‘The first thing we’re working on is, where do they go next.” The Haven, as an emergency shelter, represents the first stage of a continuum. While there, residents work with Client Advocate Katy Bryne on finding longer term, alternative housing through programs in Petaluma or Santa Rosa.
“He (Burrell) has such a big heart, it really sets the tone,” said Byrne. “As the clients begin to feel cared about, they begin to care for themselves and each other.”
It’s Bryne’s job to work with clients matching them to available programs for substance abuse, health issues, counseling, child-care and more, run by other non-profits and charity organizations. “There are a lot of good support services and programs out there,” Burrell said. “Having connections to those agencies is absolutely critical.”
According to Burrell about 60 percent of Haven clients are from the Sonoma Valley, and most have mental or behavioral issues. Substance abuse is a common denominator, as is depression and bi-polar disorder. It’s these problems, he said, that often imperil or preclude employment, leading to homelessness.
Once in The Haven, clients have chores and structure. They must leave each day, to look for work or be otherwise productive, and are accountable for improving their situation.
“We have them make a list of problems and rate them,” Burrell said. “Then we only work on number one. By taking small steps, they begin to see some successes in their life.”
Byrne said the process helps restore independence and self-sufficiency. “It’s really touching to me the potential these people have,” she said. “They know what their goals are and what they have to do to get there. They are not lacking in ambition, but in support. To be heard is very unusual for them.” As Burrell put it, “they are not used to being trusted.”
The Haven opened in February of 2008 and has been running at capacity since early this year. Burrell (paid a $1,000 per month) makes it work with the help of 40 volunteers, private support, numerous weekly trips to Costco to stock the kitchen, and a contract with the city for $15,000 per year.
Before the shelter was built, the program used vouchers to put people up in motel rooms. The budget then was $22,000 per year. The move to the permanent facility has increased expenses, which continue to rise with demand. To cover a $15,000 shortfall in his $60,000 budget Burrell has asked the City Council to double its current stipend to $30,000 per year, a matter it will consider in August.
As County programs lose more and more state funding, Burrell said, the health and human services system is reaching capacity. One Santa Rosa shelter has closed and onther is threatened. “There’s no place to send these people,” he said. “There’s just no room at the inn.”
Meanwhile, life goes on in The Haven, one day at a time. “We don’t have them very long,” Burrell said, “but we hope what we’ve imparted stays with them.”
