Hope for homeless at new Monterey facility, problems still linger after storms

We are getting a first look at new facility in Monterey at which homeless women can get help. The facility is opening at the same time as the city explores new options for an emergency shelter.

To most, the room looks pretty ordinary, but to police officer-turned-volunteer Leslie Fry Sonne, the Gathering for Women Service Center is a special place where homeless women can begin the process of turning their lives around.

“We are trying to get them to take that next step. We are trying to give them resources to keep them safe and keep them as healthy as they can be on the streets,” said Sonne.

The center provides clothes and toiletries. There are social workers on-site to help people work their way out of homelessness.

“It’s important to have the resources so that people who have found themselves homeless have somewhere to go. Every woman has a different story so there are different things they need help with,” said Sonne.

While new, the rented center is small and only open 12 hours a week, but the nonprofit is looking to expand.

“Our ultimate goal is to have our own facility where we can offer services much more frequently,” said Sonne.

A 2015 Monterey County census found there are more than 1,000 homeless people living in cities on the Monterey Peninsula. Following a state mandate, the city of Monterey is exploring options for a new emergency shelter, but first they want to decide specific zoning requirements and set other rules, such as hours of operation.

“The planning commission is going to consider parts of the commercial district, the industrial districts, different parts of the city,” said Elizabeth Caraker, with the city of Monterey.

An emergency shelter couldn’t come soon enough for Christopher Blue, a homeless man who says the recent rains have been devastating.

“We are outside. We don’t live inside. In order to get a safe haven away from the rain and cold, we have to look around for places where we are least likely to be found out,” said Blue.

Blue also said he just wants people to be aware of the challenges homeless people have to deal with.

“This problem is not to be swept under the rug and these problems are human beings who are fellow American citizens,” said Blue.