Last week's article concluded with a reminder that venues for emergency weather shelters (EWS) are still needed on the Mendocino Coast. Lynelle Johnson, one of the Board members of the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC) provided me with the reminder as well as the partially filled schedule for EWS through early April. When she first showed me the EWS schedule after the January 20th Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board meeting (There's a mouthful and a half. Why call it the Mental Health Board when five extra syllables can be attached!?). At that time the week of January of Jan. 24th through the 30th was blank, apparently meaning no organizations had come forward to provide a suitable location for shelter should the need arise during that particular week. I told Mrs. Johnson that the AVA would come out too late to be of any assistance for the last week of January. She seemed to understand.
Forward to Monday, January 25th and the Fort Bragg City Council meeting. A homeless woman announced in the Public Comments session that she had been turned away from EWS by Hospitality House officials (the pilot organization of MCHC) on at least one recent wet and cold night. Outside Town Hall the same woman, Julie Winkelmeyer (who also goes by “Julie Generic” on the Facebook page Fort Bragg Street Post), asserted that a police officer had entered the Hospitality Center that very Monday afternoon to ask why the emergency weather shelter had been closed at some point over the previous weekend. According to Winkelmeyer, an MCHC employee told the officer something close to this: “We can't tell you why.” Winkelmeyer indicated that the tone used to inform the officer seemed to imply something along the line of, 'and we don't have to tell you.'
In the Fort Bragg Advocate-News, Anna Shaw, executive director of MCHC, is quoted as saying that the EWS has been open every night weather has warranted. Coincidentally, days before that article appeared last Thursday, Julie Winkelmeyer, standing on a chilly street corner of Fort Bragg was able to quote verbatim the same criteria Shaw cited for EWS opening, a forecast that calls for at least a twenty percent chance of rain or the temperature dropping to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Winkelmeyer seemed to be one of the sharpest, most coherent homeless folks I'd run into in awhile, so on that same cold night, following the Fort Bragg City Council meeting, I left a message for one of my law enforcement sources. I drove south on Main Street, hoping Starbucks would still be open (Normally I disdain the corporate brew for the A frame south of Noyo Bridge or the coffee drinks at the Mendocino Cookie Company in the Company Store. At a more appropriate time we'll explore delectable treats at Mendocino's Good Life Bakery, but, for now, back to our story.).
With a just-before-closing Starbucks “venti” mocha in hand I entered Safeway for a few items. Tucked in a remote corner of the produce section my cell phone vibrated. It proved to be one of those law enforcement sources, who promised to check on the reliability of the homeless woman's claim about an officer being rebuffed at the Hospitality Center.
In the pre-dawn hours of the following morning the law enforcement source replied via email that yes, an officer had gone into the Hospitality Center at more or less the precise time described by the homeless woman. And, yes, the officer in question felt that the Hospitality Center staff and/or volunteers he spoke with were evasive about the topic of possible EWS closures and they acted as if they were put out by his bringing up the question at all. The officer's general take-away from the situation was that either someone at the Hospitality Center had “dropped the ball” regarding the EWS or that some sort of cover up was going on.
One of the more obvious take-aways from an objective point of view is why did a questionable situation arise to begin with. Why weren't contingency plans for back up shelter locations put in place last fall, long before the weather turned cold and rainy?
Here is the latest. The Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for next week has been cancelled. If you recall Lindy Peters wanted to discuss the Crisis Shelter idea at the next Safety Committee meeting. It’s been rescheduled for Feb. 17th at 3:00 at guess where…The Old Coast Hotel. Why? They want to give a tour and then tell every first hand why the shelter hasn’t been open. So, instead of a meeting to discuss Fort Bragg declaring a Shelter Crisis we now get the Grand Tour complete with excuses.
Stop calling the building the “Old Coast Hotel. Forget history, it is now the “Hospitality Center.” They made that very clear at the BHAB meeting.
I recall being told not to call it The Old Coast Hotel The Old Coast Hotel The Old Coast Hotel The Old Coast Hotel The Old Coast Hotel ?
Good job reporting.
This is serious crazy stuff going on. Having weather criteria for shelter and the like.
I wonder what would happen if the homeless were “organized” into an action force? (In this county……we saw some degree of what might be with this last night at the Justin Hermann Plaza protest related to the city rousting the homeless from downtown for the Superbowl City venues)
Be careful with talk like that Mike. The County’s Mental Health Advocate, Jim Shaw, might accuse you of abusing the mentally ill by “inciting” them against the providers (primarily his wife). He may even call for your arrest and incarceration.
Supervisor McCowan will accuse you of “Public Abuse” and blame you for the reason the County couldn’t find a competent Mental Health Director and were forced to settle for Ms. Miller because no one else smarter than her wanted the job.
Duh???????
Oh, I forgot to add. The Sheriff and/or one of our 3 police chiefs (depending on jurisdiction) under new 5150 protocol will now take you to and drop you off at one of OMG’s private locations for your assessment, no Emergency Rooms anymore.
Hard telling what will happen to you from there.
One more, RMQC also prefers that law enforcement bring the under 24 year old 5150’s directly to them as well, avoid those public Emergency Rooms at all costs.
Okay I lied, social workers are good about that. Based on the bizarre nature of your claim that there’s “serious crazy stuff going on” could lead to you being assessed and diagnosed by one of OMG’s paid staff and stuffed quietly in one of their locked facilities for rest of your life or until you come to your senses.
Get a grip, Mike.
How long do you think I would last on the streets of Ukiah right now?
In 1989, then District Attorney Susan Massini attempted to convince then Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Luther that I was a “menace to society.” Her words exactly.
He ordered me to become a social worker instead of locking me up.
Here we are 27 years later and the war wages on.
I was a Social Worker V until they stole it from me.
And I have some ocean front property in Arizona.
The question is do protests result in long term changes?
ROFLMAO! Golly gee, James, if all that happened (to me, for calling for the homeless to organize action), I would just go to the FBI and a lot of people would have some explaining to do.
None of those local “forces” cause me to break a sweat at all.
My Arizona comment was referring to the Sheriff and PD taking everyone to the Access Center and not to the ER. My scanner must have replay because I keep hearing I’ll be out at the ER with a 51-50. Guess it’s time to replace it.