HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.26.21 Press release to be sent shortly
From:McAfee-Bowersox, Miranda
Subject:Press release to be sent shortly
Date:Saturday, June 26, 2021 7:17:12 PM
Good Evening Board Members,
The below press release will be sent to the media shortly.
Have a nice weekend.
Miranda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2021
CONTACT
Andy Pickett, Chief Administrative Officer
530.552.3310
BUTTE COUNTY REMAINS COMMITTED TO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE CITY OF CHICO TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS TO
ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Oroville, Calif.— Butte County remains fully committed to our partnership with the City of Chico to identify solutions to address
homelessness in our communities. An ad hoc committee consisting of two members of the Butte County Board of Supervisors and
three members of the Chico City Council formed in January of 2021 for the purpose of jointly exploring solutions that could be
taken back to their respective governing bodies for review and action.
The identified solution consisted of a location within the core of the City of Chico, and included aluminum frame, climate-controlled
pallet shelters, on site showers, restrooms, and laundry. The location was to be managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and would
have included on site mental health and social services. The goal was to provide unhoused individuals a location for resting and
sleeping, and also to provide critical services that would allow individuals to get out of the condition of homelessness.
On March 9, 2021, the ad hoc recommendation came before the full Board of Supervisors; however, days before the board
meeting, the planned location fell through. Nonetheless, the Board of Supervisors approved the plan in concept, along with a
commitment of $500,000. The County communicated to the City that even though the agreed upon location did not work out, the
County remained committed and that the funding, along with mental health and social services, were available for another site that
was in substance similar to the agreed-upon plan.
After the March meeting, the County waited for the City to find a new location for the site. There was informal discussion between
staff during this time, but no details were shared. Having received no update from the City, the County officially asked the City for
an update. The City responded that they had been having much discussion on the issue, but due to the litigation, the discussions
had been in the confidentiality they needed to remedy their legal matters. The City said it needed to complete necessary legal steps
before it could share information in full.
The details surrounding the current homeless resting site were not discussed with the County prior to information being released to
the public. The location at the airport selected by the City is not suitable in many respects for the County to provide mental health
and social services, which are key components of the solution.
Butte County is committed to identifying actions which help individuals out of their condition of homelessness, and we look forward
to continuing to work with the City of Chico to identify a solution.
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Miranda Bowersox
Communications/Public Information Officer
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Oroville Ca. 95965