Construction is underway at the former Calcot Inc. headquarters to turn it into a 150-bed emergency homeless shelter, expected to open in the Fall 2020.
The new center will be located at 1900 E. Brundage Lane. According to the spring update from the City, Escrow commenced on February 20.
During the due diligence period, the City worked to complete appropriate inspections and repairs. This work included a committee of representatives from the City Manager’s Office, Public Works Department, Finance Department and the Building Department met with an expert homeless shelter architect and local non-profits to design the facility.
The large warehouses on the northern side of the building, which once housed cotton, will be transformed into dorms for men, women and couples. They are also large enough to include possessions storage and day rooms that open out into patio space.
The facility includes a spacious conference room where over 50 Calcot board-members once met regularly to discuss cotton. This important space will be converted to a multifunctional area for training, group therapy, and community gatherings.
The existing courtyard will become the new entrance where partners in the “Referral Network” will drop off new clients or pick up existing clients on their way to work or appointments.
Two hallways of offices will be reserved for case workers, housing navigators, medical exam rooms, classrooms for adult education, meeting rooms for mental health and recovery services as well as space for non-profits like the Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative.
The objective of the BHNC is to provide shelter and high-impact wrap-around services to homeless adults so that they may stabilize their living situations, improve their mental and physical health, increase their independence, and move on to permanent stable housing.
The City announced on May 6 that the Orange County-based Mercy House was contracted to be the operator of the new center.
