_{Thumbnail photo: The Del Norte Senior Center, Del Norte MIssion Possible and Open Door Clinic’s mobile medical bus offers a myriad of services including showers at the Del Norte Wellness Center on Tuesdays. | Photo by James Brooks}

A lack of communication that nearly led to the Del Norte Senior Center having to find another locale for its mobile showers program has been resolved, Executive Director Charlaine Mazzei said.

The senior center has offered showers, clothing and hygiene kits in the parking lot at the Del Norte Wellness Center on Tuesdays since July 2021. It currently partners with Del Norte Mission Possible, which provides access to case management, meals and other services, as well as Open Door Community Health Center’s mobile medical bus where clients can see a primary care physician.

But on Monday, Mazzei said she received a notice to vacate from the building’s owner, the Del Norte Healthcare District. By Thursday, Mazzei met with DNHCD Board Chair Tonya Pearcey and Director Dr. Kevin Caldwell and the special district withdrew its notice.

“We all realized that there had been a lack of communications about the concerns the Healthcare District had and they now understand that we were not aware of, or given a chance, to mitigate them,” Mazzei told Redwood Voice Community News, adding that Open Door and Mission Possible representatives also attended. 

On Monday, Pearcey told Redwood Voice that there had been frequent vandalism inside the Wellness Center, particularly in the restrooms, as well as damage to a chainlink fence behind the facility. She said much of the vandalism appeared to be occurring on Monday night and Tuesday and the “only common factor is that Tuesday services are being provided there.”

Mazzei said Thursday that damage to the restrooms and fence were two issues Pearcy and Caldwell described. According to Mazzei, the two Healthcare District representatives said staff stated they didn’t feel safe and some patients had also expressed concern about coming in on Tuesdays.

“To address the concerns of the Healthcare District, all three partners agreed to try to move the services to a different part of the site, a little farther away from the main side of the building,” she said. “This way they won’t be as disruptive to staff and to people coming and going to the clinic for other business. We also agreed to check the bathrooms regularly during the time we’re on site and at the end of service.”

Mazzei said the senior center, Mission Possible and Open Door would also keep an eye on folks accessing the shower program to ensure that there is no damage that occurs and if it does occur, to address it.

“More importantly, we all agreed to keep lines of communication open going forward so that concerns could be addressed more quickly and effectively,” she said. “We all work very hard to be responsible and respectful partners, so we want to make sure we have that open relationship.”

According to Pearcey, the Healthcare District will put a new lock on the door at the back of the Wellness Center and will have port o’potties and handwashing stations available on Tuesdays. She said the logistics still have to be work about regarding where the showers and the mobile medical bus will be set up, but they’ll still be on Wellness Center property.

The outreach the senior center, Mission Possible and Open Door provide occur at the Wellness Center on Tuesdays and at the former Park City Superette at Howland Hill and Elk Valley roads on Thursdays.

“This type of street outreach — where we bring services to people where they are — is one of the most crucial first steps in making the conditions to help people see a way out of homelessness,” Mazzei said.

The senior center’s mobile shower services averages about 21 showers and distributes roughly 25 basic hygiene kits every Tuesday, Mazzei said. The mobile medical bus offers access to a primary care physician on a walk-in basis. Their staff see about 22 people each week.

Del Norte Mission Possible provides additional clothing, access to case management, sandwiches, referrals to other services as well as assistants in managing client visits to the mobile medical bus, Mazzei said. Mission Possible serves about 86 people each week.

After nearly five years of being at the same location, Mazzei said people count on the senior center to be at the Wellness Center every week. The senior center and its partners have been exploring other locations, but they aren’t as accessible, she said.

“Change doesn’t go over well and we’re likely to lose contact with people if we move,” she said. “The medical bus has worked hard to get patients used to coming to them instead of going to the ER. Since medical care is one of the biggest unmet needs of people experiencing homelessness, connecting people to the mobile medical bus and the services offered at Open Door is critical to improving their wellbeing.”