BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors has approved plans for a new homeless center in the Oildale area. The Tiney Oaks Supportive Services Village is set to start construction at the corner of Hart Street and East Roberts Lane in Bakersfield.
County officials overseeing the project say it will be different from other homeless centers in town, as it will offer individual sleeping quarters for those in need.
“They are 8 by 8 square foot individual sleeping units, there are 50 of them,” said James Zervis, Chief Operations Officer for Kern County. “In our other settings, like M Street for example, it’s communal, meaning it’s more dormitory style. Everyone sleeps in the same building.”
Zervis says the idea came about when they saw a need for helping homeless people who weren’t open to living in a communal setting. He says reasons for desiring solo living quarters vary, but are often linked to past trauma.
“A lot of folks living on the street really aren’t equipped and have been through trauma and issues in the past that just don’t lend them to working well in a congregate setting, and they won’t go,” said Zervis. “What we found is that there is a need for this non-congregate, so that there is more individual space where people are separated, but it’s all in one area and managed very much like you would see at a traditional homeless shelter or services shelter.”
Zervis says the non-communal shelter option will give the city a new tool it doesn’t currently have for helping unhoused people, and that getting them into shelter is the first step towards getting them to accept additional assistance, like drug treatment and job training.
According to Zervis, the funding to construct and operate this facility is coming from the county’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act funding. No funding for the project is coming from Kern County’s general fund.
“It’s a one-time federal funding that the county received,” said Zervis. “The Board of Supervisors set aside $15 million dollars to do a number of projects related to addressing homelessness and mental health challenges, and one of those is this project.”
Zervis says Tiney Oaks will offer the same vital resources as the M Street and Brundage Lane Navigation Centers, including survival needs like food, clothing, and hygiene supplies, as well as substance abuse treatment, employment assistance, and more.
“24-hour security, case management, mental health, physical health, all of the services you would see at a traditional shelter. It’ll be managed very similarly,” said Zervis. “Caseworkers to help them find permanent housing and to take down some of the barriers. A lot of these folks need documentation. They’ve lost their license. They don’t have their Social Security number.”
According to Zervis, as of this week there is a building permit for the project on file and the county is currently analyzing contractors to kickstart construction. The county is aiming to have the facility open by late 2023.
