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Del Norte To Cut The Ribbon On Long-Awaited Emergency Shelter, Micro Village

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Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

Ranell Brown says she’s expecting a large turnout to cut the ribbon at Del Norte County’s new emergency shelter and micro village on Wednesday.

The result of a collaboration with the county, Del Norte Mission Possible and True North Organizing Network, the shelter’s grand opening comes about a year after the Point in Time Count identified 482 individuals as homeless, according to a Department of Health and Human Services press release.

The campus needs a handful of finishing touches, but Brown, who directs DHHS, said the shelter will begin accepting clients within 30 days of the ribbon cutting.

“We’re still finalizing the micro village side of it which helps support the shelter, such as the kitchen part,” she said Tuesday. “We’re still pending occupancy on some minor things such as posting handicapped signs. (It’s) just last-minute punch-list items.”

With help from Mission Possible and True North, DHHS received a $10.8 million California Encampment Resolution Funding grant to build the shelter and micro village at 200 Williams Drive in Crescent City. 

Mission Possible will operate the facility, which will include a congregate 60-bed emergency shelter, a 50-unit micro village, kitchen and bathroom facilities, a community building, storage, laundry and 24-hour onsite staff and supportive services.

According to DHHS’s press release, after it was notified it received the ERF dollars in September 2023, Del Norte County chose Lenders Construction Services to be the project manager and Adams Commercial General Contracting to build the facility.

The ribbon cutting and grand opening will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., though Brown urged people to arrive early. Parking will be available near the fairgrounds and a shuttle will ferry folks over to the shelter site, she said.

“We’re super excited,” Brown said. “It’s been long awaited and we just know it’s going to have a positive impact on the community. We’re excited to see the path forward with this.”