Community Human Services acquires property for a new homeless shelter in Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Community Human Services has announced that it has acquired the property for a new homeless shelter for women and children on 600 E. Franklin St.

The homeless shelter will offer 30 to 35 beds. The property has a long history, originally built in the 1930's but the property is now home to a dance studio.

Two students from the Middlebury Institute says they're glad the homelessness in Monterey is being addressed.

" I think it's fantastic because we're really lacking in a lot of services for people threatened by homelessness in the area and so the fact that we're getting more options for people in that situation is really good," says Josh Bryan.

For a local artist who uses the space behind the dance studio, he believes that this will be a great resource for women and families.

“There's a lot of homeless women here in the community so I think that this place could be a great resource and not only providing shelter but also other resources for those women to grow and different ways for them to develop," says Jayson Fann.

Casa De Noche Buena is a homeless shelter for women and families that opened recently in Seaside. Robin McCrae, the CEO of Community human Services, says there's a great need for shelter for women and families in Monterey County.

"Right now there's over a thousand families and women who need shelter, so the need is great, there's no denying the need. The shelter in Seaside can serve up to 35 people, this shelter will be able to serve 35 people so we're just beginning to serve the very tip of the need," says McCrae.

For Cynthia Chen, this is a reminder to people that homelessness is an issue for the city.

"It's a tourist city so people might not even notice that they are actually homeless people but they do exist," says Chen.

The CEO of Community Human Services believes that the shelter may be open in Summer of 2023.