Sonora Endorses Soulsbyville Homelessness Project

Oak Terrace website

Sonora, CA — The Sonora City Council voted last night to ratify a letter written by Mayor Mark Plummer in support of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors purchasing the former Memory Care facility in Soulsbyville.

We reported earlier that the board of supervisors voted 3-2 on April 11 to post a notice of intent to purchase the Soulsbyville property, and a final vote in regard to the acquisition is anticipated on May 16.

The letter notes that Sonora already provides a list of homelessness services and they should be better spread out in the county. Councilman Matt Hawkins stressed, “This is not a Nimby-type situation. There is a list of stuff right here (in the letter) that comes out of the city limits of Sonora…we do a lot. We’re just being supportive of something else.”

Councilman Andy Merrill stated, “There is no question about the amount of services we have already provided and the investments that we have made as the City of Sonora. We are doing everything we can to recognize this and deal with it. So yeah, I would love to see more investment from the county and helping us get on top of this issue.”

In regards to having a transitional housing facility in Soulsbyville, as opposed to hypothetically Sonora, Mayor Mark Plummer added, “The city is overloaded already.”

The letter was endorsed by all five council members.

You can read the letter in its entirety by clicking here.