BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors recently approved funding for improvements at the Community Action Partnership of Kern's M Street Navigation Center in Bakersfield. The approval comes as the county is continuing its efforts to provide housing for people in need.
The M Street Navigation Center is a 147-bed low-barrier shelter providing services to help people in Kern County get back on their feet, says Chief Program Officer at CAP-K Louis Gill.
"We continue to have a crisis of homelessness on our streets in Kern County, and it is critical that a low-barrier facility that doesn't tell people that because of their drug usage, their mental health challenges that they can't come in," said Gill. "I am very grateful and very proud that we provide those services."
Services include shelter beds, meals, laundry, medical assessment, and pet care, all of which Gill says make a difference in the lives of unhoused people.
Gill says that thanks to Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds, the M Street facility will be able to replace temporary shower units with a new modular unit and add a ramp for extra accessibility, as well as upgrade the center's laundry facilities.
"Being able to get clean, being able to take a shower, and having clean clothes, they are vital to people's well-being," said Gill.
Gill says these improvements are just another way the county and CAP-K are working hand-in-hand to combat the homelessness issue.
"We're very grateful and thankful that Kern County has been interested and willing to allocate these dollars for the capital improvements. It really demonstrates their care and concern for the people that are coming through our doors," said Gill.
To learn more about the services offered at the CAP-K M Street Navigation Center, please visit the Community Action Partnership of Kern County's webpage.
