28 Jan Antioch Emergency Shelter Plan Falls Through

(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The city of Antioch is exploring partnering with another motel to offer shelter to homeless residents on cold nights after its previous partner backed out of a similar deal.

Officials planned to use 250 motel vouchers over the next six months on an as-needed basis at the closed Comfort Inn on Mahogany Way, before its owner withdrew the deal the day before the council meeting for “circumstances outside the city’s control,” according to City Manager Bessie Marie Scott.

Staff is now in talks with another unidentified hotel to offer similar emergency shelter, said Scott at Tuesday’s meeting.

“This is gut-wrenching,” said Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas, who led the meeting in Mayor Ron Bernal’s absence. “This is a very, very difficult situation, and I think the time is to be more proactive rather than reactive.”

Freitas pointed to the incoming summer months, which can regularly bring temperatures in the 100s.

This winter, temperatures in the city have dropped to between the low 40s and mid 30s, sometimes with winds and rain, according to data from Weather Underground. Homeless residents have no in-city options and no other nearby options to find shelter in that weather.

That, coupled with the city having the county’s highest population of homeless residents, has pushed both advocates and officials to call for an increase in services. With budget constraints, the city can’t offer a shelter of its own, and the county has no plans to bring a warming center to the area.

Other potential partnerships with churches have also failed to offer shelter options, Scott has said in her reports.

“Staff believes the city may need to rely on limited response options, depending on weather conditions, operational capacity, and community need,” she wrote.

A similar deal with another motel operator could cost up to $20,000 based on the previous canceled deal with the Comfort Inn operator, but Scott also estimated that total costs will remain under $50,000 for those limited response options.

“Nights in the 35 to 40 degree range pose [a] real and immediate threat, for extreme sub-32 degree Fahrenheit leaves people to freeze while the county twiddles its thumbs and misuses our tax dollars to not help part of our county,” said resident Melissa Case.

Council members first considered warming center and other emergency shelter options at its Jan. 13 meeting, around a month after it had been continued due to a late meeting. Staff were directed to move forward with an agreement with the owner of the Comfort Inn, DJ Hospitality.

Part of the agreement would have required DJ Hospitality to pay outstanding balances on water service and the Transient Occupancy Tax within 90 days, Scott’s report states.

Scott told council members that they’ll continue to pursue partnerships with faith groups and the county, providing updates as conversations progress.