Homelessness can occur at anytime of the year and effects individuals and families in our community everyday. Emergency shelters frequently house homeless in the coldest months of the year only, and many shelters limit the time a guest can stay to 30-days. In 1998, faced with the loss of the winter shelter at the fairgrounds, the City of Chico designated a group of agency representatives and concerned citizens titled The Greater Chico Homeless Task Force, or GCHTF, whose mission was to develop a permanent year round homeless shelter in Chico.

The development of the Chico Community Shelter Partnership is documented in a memorandum to the Chico City Council dated April 1, 2000. The document was authored by Coleen Jarvis, City Counselor and Chair of the newly developed task force. An attorney, Coleen was an aggressive advocate for the poor and a champion of recovery. Coleen’s public service also included her work for Legal Services of Northern California, she worked as an advocate for seniors, the homeless, and the addicted, and was a foster parent and a youth mentor. Coleen still served as a member of the Chico City Council at the time of her death.

The Greater Chico Homeless Task Force began to meet monthly to address the immediate need for a shelter site. The task force had not located a permanent site for the shelter by the winter of 1997-98, so they teamed up with the Salvation Army to provide a motel-based shelter program for the coldest months of the season.

The following winter the Community Action Agency (CAA), a local non-profit that administers government funded low income housing programs such as The Esplanade House, helped with the administration of the newly established Chico Community Shelter Partnership (CCSP). CAA’s non profit status initially made it possible for CCSP to apply for government funding for the organization’s first funding cycle, until CCSP received their own non profit designation. CCSP’s shelter continued as a motel-based, winter program until December of 1998. CCSP and GCHTF collaborated with a local faith based community service group, the Chico Inter-Faith Council, to provide shelter at local churches. Several churches agreed to provide room in their church facilities for sleeping, restrooms, and access to a kitchen. Every two weeks, shelter staff would load a large truck trailer with sleeping mats and the personal belongings of shelter guests, to be moved to another host church in Chico. The rotation of the shelter between churches was a lot of work, and showers and social services had to be provided elsewhere.

Although the host churches placed no limitations on how long they would shelter the communities homeless, it was evident that shelter and related social services were needed all year long. With the winter shelter secure in the churches, the CCSP Board of Directors and its new Executive Director began to pursue federal funding for a permanent shelter site.

On March 17th, 2003, due to the dedication of the CCSP Board to secure grant funding, the work done by the Greater Chico Homeless Task Force, as well numerous donations of labor and money provided by citizens, and on land acquired and donated by the City of Chico, the building of a year-round emergency shelter had been completed.

The Torres Community Shelter currently serves as many as 700 homeless citizens each year. The shelter is divided into a women’s dormitory and a men’s dormitory, as well as two family rooms. There are 120 beds available for sheltering. The shelter provides basic services such as showers, nightly meals provided by volunteers, a bed, and limited storage for personal property. Social Service Coordinators are available and assist shelter guests to develop a personal plan that addresses barriers to permanent housing. Referrals are made to other community services as appropriate, and general education related to mental wellness and life skills, as well as crisis intervention services are provided at the shelter.

The Torres Community Shelter was named after Tim Torres. Tim, now deceased, was a member of the Wintu Tribe of Grindstone Rancheria. Tim was a self identified addict and alcoholic in recovery. He was an original Shelter Coordinator for CCSP. Tim’s community service also included his dedication to sobriety and wellness among his Native American peers. Tim held a seat as President of the Native American Student Union at CSU Chico, he organized clean and sober events and provided outreach to native and non native citizens who suffered with alcoholism, making sure they had a blanket and other provisions as needed, and engaging them to accept local services as a means to get off of the street. Tim’s efforts assisted the community to better understand homelessness, the contributing factors, and to raise awareness about the need for homeless citizens to have a safe place to begin to recover.

Ten years later the Torres Community Shelter continues to be the only shelter in Butte County to provide shelter to men, women, and families. Guests of the Torres Shelter can stay for up to 180 consecutive days, a significant amount of time to address barriers to maintaining housing. Without the hundreds of volunteer hours and generous monetary donations from local citizens, hundreds of homeless citizens would be without a safe place to stay in Butte County each year. Congratulations to CCSP, the Torres Shelter staff, and to everyone who has helped to continue the caring act of sheltering our neighbors in need.

By Becky, Torres Shelter Service Coordinator