By Lizzie Stone, city council reporter
Valley Open Doors, which operates annual shelters for people without housing, had planned to use the city’s new permanent shelter, which was projected to open in November. But construction delays are forcing the group to search again for temporary shelter spaces as weather gets colder.
Deputy city manager Amy Snider said the building, which is on North Main Street, needs additional fireproofing on internal support beams to meet fire codes. Project contractors Nielsen Builders are working to solve the issue, but don’t yet have a new estimated date for completing construction.
Snider said city officials only learned of the latest delay last week and are looking into possible shelter spaces along with Open Doors. Because of the danger of low temperatures, she said finding a shelter is a safety issue.
“Although we’re disappointed, we have been here before,” Mayor Deanna Reed said. “I know this community and we always come together.”
When completed, the city’s homelessness service center — which will be called the Navigation Center — will offer year-round temporary housing along with transition resources to help people move into permanent homes. Open Doors has partnered with other organizations to offer educational, health and other services to the entire community through the center.
Open Doors executive director Nate Riddle said the center will offer a “holistic approach” with voluntary services and low barriers of entry.
The center will act as a “first point of contact” for anyone in the community seeking support resources and offer some of those resources on site, Riddle said. It will also have public facilities including laundry, showers, charging stations and computer access.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council moved more than $13,000 into the Navigation Center project. The funds are from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and were reallocated from the excess budget of completed projects.
- The Harrisonburg Police Department will recruit mental health professionals to respond to calls alongside officers using funding from a U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance grant. The department will receive $550,000 over three years for its new co-response program. The new clinician and mental health professional can provide mental health assessments in the field and offer relevant resources and follow-up checks to individuals. The department also hopes to expand officer training on crisis intervention, and improve data tracking and coordination with outside other organizations involved in the justice and health fields.
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