On November 17th, the Chico City Council should appropriate $350,000 for Safe Space Winter Shelter. This money will ensure that there is winter shelter available in the community. It will also provide 6 months of services, including case management and navigation/housing.

This is not only the most humane thing to do, it is also something that provides concrete benefits to the community, giving people a place to go other than the parks and waterways, and engaging them with service providers who can help them move out of homelessness.

Without this funding it is uncertain if there will be any shelter available for those living on our streets this winter. We know the incoming council has run on a platform of policing rather than evidence-based services, and they will likely continue their drive to criminalize homelessness.

This is the last meaningful thing the current council can hope to accomplish, and there is no excuse to leave people living on the streets when there is a plan for meaningful change.

Chico needs to fund or at least sanction a safe and secure campground for people who are living in tents. There is not enough shelter space for everyone who needs it and many people have nowhere else to live. Many other cities have funded or sanctioned such campgrounds.

A project of 33 tiny homes with shared amenities; On-site Management; On-site Social Services; Members Only, No Unauthorized Visitors; No Drugs, No Alcohol; Participant Agreement to pay rent or a fee and contribute 10 hours a week to clean the Village and keep it operational.

See more at: www.chicohousingactionteam.net