Homeless Shelter to Open June 1, Community Meetings Scheduled


Published on May 28, 2015

A temporary homeless shelter operated by Volunteers of America and funded by Right Hand Auburn is scheduled to open at the Placer County Government Center in North Auburn on Monday, June 1. 

The shelter will provide overnight shelter to adult men and women from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week.

Placer County continues to work on potential long-term solutions recommended by Dr. Robert Marbut, a nationally known expert hired by the county to conduct a comprehensive homeless needs assessment and develop an action plan. He presented his findings and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors last month.

In February, the board approved a site-access agreement that will allow Volunteers of America and Right Hand Auburn to open the shelter as a three-month pilot project in a building at the Government Center, a county-owned campus commonly known as the DeWitt Center.  

The agreement includes a requirement that community meetings be held regularly once the shelter opens, so the public and county employees have a platform for offering comments, voicing concerns and sharing incidents that may arise from shelter operations.

Input provided at the meetings will be taken into consideration when the county decides whether to allow the temporary shelter to remain open after the 90-day trial period.

Meetings will be held at 5:30 p.m. on:

  • June 11
  • June 25
  • July 9
  • July 23
  • Aug 6 and
  • Aug 20. 

Each of the meetings will take place in the Planning Commission Chambers at the county Community Development Resource Center, 3091 County Center Dr. in North Auburn. 

The county also has set up a website at Placer homeless, where employees and the public can provide feedback without attending meetings. Questions and concerns will be forwarded to county staff so they can be addressed at the community meetings.

The shelter will be staffed by Volunteers of America and will have a maximum of 47 beds. It will have separate accommodations for men and women.  

Shelter staff will refer homeless individuals to appropriate services provided by the county and community organizations.