Inspiring Stories Lead a Plea for Full-Time Homeless Shelter in Gilroy

A breakfast to gather support for a one-stop, full-time shelter for Gilroy's homeless brought in some big names, including Mayor Al Pinheiro and former mayors, Don Gage and Sig Sanchez. But the stars of the show were the speakers who had once been homeless themselves.

"People tell me they don't see homeless people in Gilroy," said Lloyd Patterson, who was at one time one of the hundreds of homeless people in Gilroy. "The vast majority of homeless people are proud. They are ashamed of being homeless. The vast majority don't ask for money."

Longtime homeless activist Jan Bernstein-Chargin explained how she learned first-hand how difficult it is to find a job when you're homeless. 

Years before serving as the spokeswoman for Gavilan College, Bernstein-Chargin was homeless herself.

"Once you're out of the game, it's really hard to get back in," she said. "Imagine waking up under a tree and then going to a job interview."

Gilroy has a problem, she said. “There isn’t a place where, if somebody becomes homeless, they can go to have a roof.”

The early-morning gathering, held to highlight efforts for a full-time, full-service homeless shelter in Gilroy, drew a formidable sample of local figures and countless aid agencies. Much work remains in the proposal to transform a local warehouse into the “Gilroy Compassion Center,” but project founder Jim Currier said the number of people adding their expertise to the mix is growing.

The new shelter would transform Currier's 6,000-square-foot warehouse at 8425 Monterey St. into a facility that, even at a basic level, would provide year-round housing, he said.

Currier told the story of encountering a homeless man shivering outside a local McDonald's on a cold, rainy night, a sight that he said changed him forever. He gave the man his coat, a sleeping bag and some food, but the image stayed with him.

"It violated the essence of who I am as a human being, that I could walk away and leave him there,” Currier said. “I'm not doing that again."

Councilman Dion Bracco said, “It’s been said that you can judge a community by how they help the needy.” 

A member of Gilroy’s homeless task force and a speaker at the event, he recalled a young man and his wife, both homeless, who approached him for a job. Bracco gave the man a job, and he ended up being "one of the most loyal, hard-working and trustworthy people I ever hired," the councilman said. Today, that man is a paramedic.

"The face of homelessness has changed," Bracco said. "There are families out there that just need a hand."

Gilroy, with 599 homeless individuals, has the highest per-capita rate of homelessness in the county, according to a count from 2009. Many expect that number to have grown in the recent count, yet the city’s one homeless shelter—the National Guard Armory—is only open during nights in the coldest months and provides basic services.

Attendees at the breakfast, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were able to view preliminary drawings of the proposed facility. Remaining work includes adding bathrooms and sprinklers to the building, and Currier said it will take at least $350,000 to bring it to an operable level.

Another $150,000 would fund a one-stop service center that advocates said could be the deciding factor that helps many people get back on their feet.

Bernstein-Chargin said that when she lived in her cold art studio in the early '90s, she felt lucky to at least have a roof over her head. Yet when faced with explaining her blank address on job applications, she realized the benefit of having help.

“I was able to go from homeless to renter to homeowner to landlord, because people helped me,” she said.

One of those in attendance, Maria Skoczylas, recalled working for more than a decade to build a gleaming full-service facility in Gilroy before the state cut off funding in the struggling economy.

“That’s why this is so good—the building is already there,” Skoczylas said.

Pinheiro, who joined former mayors Gage and Sanchez at a table, said he saw the benefit of a one-stop program firsthand during a chance encounter with a man who went from shelter to job in San Jose. Pinheiro had just finished a tour of the shelter earlier that day.

Seeing the diverse talents gathered in the room, Pinheiro said, was a promising sign for the Compassion Center’s future.

With sufficient funding, organizers of the Compassion Center will offer “links to medical care, mental health care, drug and alcohol treatment, education and job training,” according to a flier from the event. Service would begin with a cold-weather shelter in the first year, with the second stage including the one-stop.

The facility would complement the year-round food aid and outreach conducted through other organizations in Gilroy, organizers said.

Many are offering their services for free to help the project, including local architect Lerner Reid. City staff have also worked closely with Currier, pointing out challenges, like insulating the industrial building.

In a questionnaire circulated that morning, organizers asked for more help and support.

For Bernstein-Chargin, the growing need for a shelter in Gilroy inspired her to reveal her personal story to the many people who had known her only as a local professional and advocate.

“The biggest difference between people who remain homeless and people who get back on their feet is the people around them,” she said, adding, “I knew we needed to have that story told.”

After all, she said, “We managed to get 80,000 people here on the hottest day in July to eat garlic ice cream; we can do this.” 

Gilroy Patch Reporter Ann Krueger-Spivack contributed to this report.