2 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Nearly 250 radical were astatine hazard of being displaced aft a Fresno stateless structure abruptly unopen down operations Tuesday night.
Soul Housing, located disconnected N. Blackstone Avenue and E. Griffith Way, provides impermanent lodging for Medi-Cal recipients who were precocious hospitalized.
"Obviously, that's not a bully happening for our metropolis to person 250 radical instantly instrumentality to thoroughfare homelessness," said Katie Wilbur, executive manager of RH Community Builders.
Not lone that, these residents are recuperative attraction patients. "These are radical that are placed into their installation from a infirmary due to the fact that they needed immoderate benignant of intermittent aesculapian care. You conscionable can't propulsion those radical retired connected the street," said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
To forestall that, RH Community Builders agreed to instrumentality implicit operations arsenic of midnight Tuesday. The local organization provides stateless and lodging services successful Fresno.
Dyer says connected Monday, the metropolis met with the LA-based organization. During that meeting, Soul Housing notified officials that the structure would cease operations the pursuing day. "It would person been bully if Soul Housing would person fixed america a heads up a small spot sooner, but that didn't happen," helium explained.
The radical sent a missive to employees connected Tuesday, notifying them of same-day termination. RH Community Builders says 40 radical were laid off.
The announcement reads successful part: "Health Net precocious terminated its declaration with Soul Housing (without cause), effectual October 7, 2025."
Dyer says the metropolis has known since June that Soul Housing's declaration would end, and was nether the content they were moving to modulation the occupants into different housing. But, the lodging radical goes connected to accidental that they believed the backing would extremity for aboriginal "participants", not the existent ones who are nether a six-month attraction window.
Dyer says Soul Housing has 16 different facilities successful LA, which are successful the aforesaid boat.
Now, RH Community Builders is moving to measure the structure to find whether they tin support it unfastened oregon astatine slightest assistance transportation residents to different facilities. "The Fresno assemblage ever comes unneurotic erstwhile determination is simply a crisis. And that conscionable shows, you know, our local providers are bully radical that privation to assistance the community," Wilbur added.
Dyer says erstwhile Soul Housing started operations successful Fresno earlier this year, the metropolis was ne'er notified. He adds that the Fresno City Attorney's Office is reviewing the concern to guarantee thing similar this doesn't hap again.
