Homeless services center officially opens in Salinas’ Chinatown

A new center serving the homeless in Salinas’ Chinatown is officially opening its doors. The center on East Lake Street is expected to help people with housing and mental health services, among others.

Tuesday’s grand opening of the Chinatown Health Services Center comes about a week after city leaders decided to move ahead with a plan to revitalize Chinatown. Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra, also known as Dorothy’s Place, said it worked with the city to get the center up and running as soon as possible.

The center plans to provide Chinatown’s homeless with a number of health services aimed at helping people become healthier.

“All of the services that we provide here lead to housing. The ultimate goal here is to get someone well and healthy and independently housed and sustainably housed. If we didn’t have housing as a goal we wouldn’t be here,” said Jill Allen, executive director for Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra.

Mental health and hygiene services are a huge part of what they offer. The center has four showers and when people use them they’re given a towel and other toiletries that they might need to get cleaned up. Those items are donated by various groups within the community.

Salinas Public Works said it regularly sweeps through the area to clear homeless people out. But it doesn’t expect the center to attract more homeless people to permanently set up camp in the area.

“I don’t think restrooms themselves are the reason people pick a location for camping. Many of the people who choose camping or are forced to camp are trying to remain outside of the public eye,” said Salinas Public Works Director Don Reynolds.

Over the past year, homeless swept out of Chinatown have ended up in other parts of the city, including along Highway 101. Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter hopes the center will put an end to the cycle of homelessness for as many people as possible.

“The whole area will be cleaned up and it will become revitalized itself and connect back down to downtown like it used to make us all one city again and that’s what we need,” Gunter said.

Franciscan Workers are urging the community to donate to the center and to consider volunteering there.