Thousand Oaks unveils proposal to build city's first emergency homeless shelter
A proposal to build Thousand Oaks' first emergency homeless shelter at a site the city owns will be considered by the City Council Tuesday night.
The recommendation comes from the city's ad hoc homelessness committee consisting of Mayor Bob Engler and Councilwoman Claudia Bill-de la Peña.
With the full council's approval, the shelter will consist of 30 prefabricated small modular homes on an undeveloped lot at 1205 Lawrence Drive.
"This is one of the missing parts that people have asked us to do to address homelessness," Engler said Friday. "It's another piece of the puzzle to help those folks who need transitional housing."
Thousand Oaks' homeless population is 210 people, up from 152 in 2020, according to the county's latest point-in-time homeless count conducted in February. There was no homeless count in 2021 due to COVID-19.
Construction costs would be between $2 million and $3.5 million. Annual operational costs are estimated to be $1 million.
The shelter could temporarily house at least 30 homeless people — one for each modular home — but more if married couples live in the same units, Assistant City Manager Ingrid Hardy said.
It would include laundry and shower facilities and an administration office, among other features. It would offer case management, job training, health and mental health services.
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Groundbreaking for another project to help the city's homeless population is expected soon.
The Quality Inn and Suites at 12 Conejo Blvd. will be converted into permanent housing for about 77 homeless people.
That project, which differs from an emergency shelter, last month was awarded $26.7 million from the state in Project Homekey funds.
Project Homekey, administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, is a $1.25 billion program to help communities acquire and rehabilitate hotels, motels and vacant apartment buildings to house the homeless.
The emergency shelter proposal was unveiled Thursday when the council's agenda for Tuesday night's meeting was posted on the city's site.
The council will be asked to authorize staff to issue a request for proposals for construction and operation of the shelter.
Construction funds could come from a variety of sources, including a portion of $16.2 million the city has set aside to address homelessness in town, Hardy said. The city has also asked Ventura County for financial assistance.
Operational funds also could come from a number of funding sources, including competitive grant funding opportunities through the county Continuum of Care program, according to a committee report.
Project Homekey funding could potentially be sought once the program's notice of funding availability is released early next year, Hardy said.
Modular homes have several advantages including lower costs and less time to construct, the report says. Another plus is that they are transportable and could be moved to another site at some point if the city finds there is a better location for the shelter.
The Lawrence Drive site could be developed within 12-18 months, according to the report.
Previous shelter plans scrapped
The project would replace the city's previous plans for an emergency shelter in conjunction with Many Mansions and other partners.
The council in September authorized the Thousand Oaks-based nonprofit to find a location for a shelter, which would also include permanent housing. Many Mansions is an affordable housing and service provider.
But a site could not be located.
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Efforts to find one "faced significant challenges relating to limited available real estate options, other impacts of high inflation and unique location preferences," the report says.
Many Mansions, the committee and city staff ultimately agreed the city should explore other options, which led to settling on the Lawrence Drive location.
"This is the next best option because we absolutely need interim housing" for the homeless, Hardy said.
The City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. in council chambers at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.
It can be attended in person or watched online on the city's YouTube channel named "CTO Meetings."
Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks finds site for city's first emergency homeless shelter
