Tuolumne County Investigating Alternatives To Pallet Shelter Plan
Sonora, CA — Officials in Tuolumne County have been moving toward opening a pallet shelter community in Jamestown for homeless residents, but it is not a “done deal.”
The county has been investigating what it may cost to hire a company to manage and provide security at the site, 24/7. CAO Tracie Riggs reported on Mother Lode Views over the weekend that the initial numbers have been “sticker shock.”
She added, “Michael Roberson, who is our coordinator for homelessness services, and an advocate for it (pallet shelter), came to me and said that we should look at some other alternatives, while we also continue going forward with the pallet shelter.”
She added that the pallet shelter plan is “not a done deal,” and the county may identify more “permanent solutions.”
Riggs says the Jamestown site was considered “low hanging fruit” as a potential site for services because it is already county-owned and below the snow line.
A team in the CAO’s office is now looking into alternative scenarios, especially if annual recurring management services end up costing in the million-dollar range. Explaining potential alternative options to the pallet shelter, Riggs says, “That might be a house that has many, many bedrooms, and we could provide case management. Or, it could be an old hotel that we renovate and it becomes studio apartments, and affordable housing.”
The county is looking for state revenue and grants to help fund projects for homeless residents.
The county supervisors had voted on August 2, by a count of 4-1, to identify the county-owned parcel on High School Road, on the former Jamestown Mine site, as a location for the pallet shelters. The county was initially hoping to open the site ahead of winter, but at a recent meeting, on September 8, the supervisors directed staff to push the tentative date to springtime, in an effort to better learn what state money would be available for the project.
The discussion about Pallet Shelters was in the third segment of last weekend’s Mother Lode Views. CAO Riggs also provided an overview of the newly passed budget, plans for a CARE Court, and economic development strategies.
