CHICO — The cooperation of shelter-, housing- and homeless service providers coming together in 2023 helped accommodate people experiencing homelessness in Butte County.
In Chico, changes in approaches to helping unhoused people progressed forward this year, including True North Housing Alliance lowering barriers to entry to the Torres Community Shelter; the Jesus Center expanding services to families and seniors at its Renewal Center; and completion of Everhart Village, a project designed by Chico Housing Action Team to house and help chronically unhoused people with mental disabilities.
Shepherding the changes were three women who head the organizations.
True North Housing Alliance
Open 24/7/365, a record number of people checked into the Torres Community Shelter in 2023, led by True North Housing Alliance Executive Director Taylor Storey.
Occupancy at the shelter is reached its highest since 2020, and many are referred to the shelter from Chico’s enforcements of illegal camping ordinances.
With Storey’s leadership, Torres Community Shelter moved to become low-barrier with acceptance of pets, removal of drug and alcohol testing, and a new gender nonconforming and nonbinary friendly dorm. The facility a new patio with garden boxes and shade; and the site looks forward to an all-in-one resource center for direction to other services in Butte County’s homeless continuum of care.
Storey also launched the nonprofit’s street outreach team to build a presence in the community and get to know Chico’s unhoused neighbors.
This year marked the 25th anniversary of True North Housing Alliance, which continued its rapid rehousing for Chico State students, bridge housing and supportive housing programs.
Jesus Center
Helping to fulfill Warren v. Chico settlement agreement terms, Jesus Center Director Amber Abney-Bass continued her watch over 177 Pallet shelters at the city’s Genesis Emergency Housing Site.
Year-round, Jesus Center’s management provided meals, case work, laundry and shower services, and on-site visits from Butte County’s behavioral health and employment, social services departments.
On top of managing the Genesis site, Abney-Bass also led the opening of the organization’s long-awaited Renewal Center to shelter up to 14 families of five and 30 individuals in 15 shared rooms.
It is considered Butte County’s first non-congregate emergency shelter of its type, and its programs were designed to support families with house management skills and childcare as opportunities arise to apply for transitional or permanent housing.
Embedded inside the Renewal Center is an Ampla Health clinic for easy access to patients living there and a storefront to sell flowers, vegetables and goods grown or made by people in the Jesus Center’s vocational programs.
Chico Housing Action Team
Grassroots organization Chico Housing Action Team turned 10 this year, and it now houses about 200 people in Chico with master leasing and transitional housing. CHAT fulfills one key part in addressing homelessness by accepting people coming from emergency shelters.
Overseeing these programs is Nicole Drummond; the nonprofit is always doing something new. This year, it opened Hope Village, six tiny homes with subsidized rent paid by six churches that each raise $250; and Everhart Village, next to Butte County Behavioral Health in Chico, with cabins for 20.
It also brought back to life two board-and-care homes in Chico — a type of housing that has become more rare — accommodating up to 12 people with disabilities.
The individuals and families who enter CHAT’s homes are exiting homelessness, and when they arrive, they are provided with food distributed to their residence and furniture for their space. Many organizations depend on CHAT to accept their clients, including Catalyst Domestic Violence Services, Jesus Center, Chico’s Genesis site, Torres Community Shelter, Nation’s Finest and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
