HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail Correspondence from Chris Nelson, Supervisor Kirk, and John Gulserian regarding warming shelters Sweeney, Kathleen
From: Gulserian, John
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2013 3:21 PM
To: Kirk, Maureen
Cc: Teeter, Doug; BOS District 4; Connelly, Bill; Lambert, Steve; Wahl, Larry; Hahn, Paul; Pickett,
Andy; Sweeney, Kathleen
Subject: RE: The Homeless in Butte County
Supervisor Kirk,
We did not open a warming shelter because we determined there was no need to do so. We looked at daytime and
night time temperatures and identified resources. During the day, temperature recovery was forecast for upper 40's
and 50's—cold, but not dangerous. For overnight, temperatures were forecast into dangerous levels, so we surveyed
local shelters for capacity.The Torres Shelter in Chico and the Oroville Rescue Mission both had plenty of capacity. We
are monitoring capacity daily, and are ready to assist should they reach capacity. In addition, we polled departments on
any issues that they may have with the cold snap, and no major issues were identified.
The Office of Emergency Management, along with County leadership, reviewed several possible scenarios, including
widespread power outages, road blockages, more intense storm than expected, and timing of the storm. We had plans
in place in case these scenarios played out.
We also worked with the Town of Paradise, knowing that there was a likelihood of their EOC activating. I spoke with
Lauren Gill and let her know how we could help.
These kinds of events are always difficult. Our job is to look at each event and determine if there is a need for a
particular service or resource. We looked at available sheltering resources and determined that enough resources were
available and a warming center was not needed. If we were to open a warming center,we also would have rules that
need to be followed. We would follow Red Cross shelter rules which are pretty specific about not having alcohol at
shelters.
John
John Gulserian
Emergency Services Officer
Butte County Office of Emergency Management
25 County Center Drive Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
530-538-7373
Fax 530-538-7120
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From: Kirk, Maureen
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2013 10:59 AM
To: Gulserian, John
Subject: FW: The Homeless in Butte County
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Are we doing any warming shelters?
Maureen Kirk
Butte County Supervisor District 3
196 Memorial Way, Chico, California 95926
530.891-2800
530.891-2877 FAX
From: Chris Nelson [mailto:chris4oax(Ogmail.com]
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2013 10:50 AM
To: BConnellly@buttecountv.net; Wahl, Larry; Kirk, Maureen; BOS District 4; Teeter, Doug
Subject: The Homeless in Butte County
Here in Chico, California EVERY agency/church we (the Chico Human Needs Action Coalition) called had no
Emergency Centers planned for these winter, freezing, night-time lows. Torres shelter, the only "Emergency"
shelter in town (with over 800 homeless, and just 120 beds), only caters to 'certain' demographics, and MOST of
the homeless we know fall through those cracks -- unmanaged mental illness, use of alcohol or drugs, or a dog
in tow that they are, understandably, not willing to give to Animal Control for just a few nights of shelter. Even
the head of the Emergency Services Department for Butte County told us a day or so ago that he has no plans to
create Emergency Shelters in freezing weather: "The Torres Shelter still has 40 beds." We've heard that kind of
circular-reasoning from everybody, including the City Council, for months, even before this weather-crisis hit.
The fact is that there are a MINIMUM of 800 homeless in Chico, 1,600 in Butte County. 40 beds, even if
homeless people 'qualified' for them, are not enough during extreme weather conditions. We opened a night
time Emergency Warming Center at the Chico Peace and Justice Center as of yesterday, but it's a VERY small
space, and can only handle very few people. Hours are 8:30pm to 8am, 526 Broadway. As far as I know, we've
got volunteers to open up again tomorrow night (Monday) too. We need a bigger space. We need volunteers.
WE NEED THE COUNTY TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY AND THAT
THEY MUST IMMEDIATELY ALLOCATE FUNDS AND RESOURCES TO ADDRESS IT.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this concern,
Chris Nelson, R.N.
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