Winter seems to finally have arrived, and folks living outdoors are going to need some help to brave the cold and wet weather coming our way.
San Luis Obispo County is seeking bids from the public for a program that would provide “warming centers” to the homeless when the weather turns nasty.
The County Homeless Services Division is asking for proposals from certain areas of the county — namely Morro Bay, Atascadero, and Paso Robles, according to a news release form Homeless Services.
“During the 2024 Point-in-Time Count,” reads the release, “these three areas were found to have some of the highest numbers of unsheltered individuals and, therefore, represent the areas of our community with the greatest need. This effort seeks to honor the humanity of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness by providing safe, warm spaces during cold and wet weather.”
The County has a total of $500,000 available, “to support operations for three warming centers during the 2025/2026 through 2027/2028 seasons, with potential extensions into 2028/2029. The funded warming centers will operate on nights when temperatures fall below 38°F (6º above freezing) or there is a 50% or higher chance of precipitation (rain).”
Such cold temps are reached often in the North County — i.e. Atascadero and Paso Robles — but the Coast doesn’t often get that cold, but such cold snaps are not unheard of.
“These warming centers,” Katlynn Beatty, Program Manager with the County of San Luis Obispo’s Homeless Services Division said, “will fill a critical gap for our unsheltered neighbors. We know that cold and wet weather can be life-threatening, and it’s essential to provide safe and welcoming spaces during these conditions. This initiative will help ensure that every corner of our county has the resources needed to protect our most vulnerable community members.”
Successful bidders will be asked to provide their guests with a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, and a to-go breakfast, as they are expected to make everyone leave in the mornings.
The warming centers are part of a grander scheme to help people. The centers will be “serving as entry points into the County’s homeless and housing care network,” the release said. “Proposals will be evaluated based on location, geographic reach, operational capacity, and experience serving people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.”
The County is taking proposals now through Feb. 26 and more information is available online at: slocounty.gov/HomelessServicesGrants.
County Administrative Services Manager, Jeff Al-Mashat, said, “This is an opportunity for organizations to create new solutions for our community. By participating in this effort, you will play an essential role in fostering compassionate spaces that provide safety and hope for those facing unsheltered homelessness.”
While both Atascadero and Paso Robles have homeless shelters run by non-profit organizations, there are literally no shelters available anywhere in the Estero Bay communities, which has had its share of issues with homeless folks.
In Los Osos, when Palisades Avenue became a de facto homeless RV campground, residents complained loudly to the County, which established a safe parking area on Oklahoma Avenue next to the old Department of Animal Services shelter. But that program had issues from the start, as the County turned management of the facility over to an agency that was unable to manage it. Indeed, drugs and debauchery soon ensued and two people ended up dying, one by drug overdose and the other in a fire. That facility has since been closed.
In Morro Bay the response to homeless encampments has been strict, after the City Council passed a “No Camping” ordinance and then cleared out and cleaned up the town’s largest encampment, in the creek channel that runs parallel to Quintana Road. Other encampments have been discovered under highway bridges, and along the creek and in the woods at Lila Keiser Park, an area the City has cleaned out several times over the years.
What would it take for a facility, perhaps a church, to be able to do this in Morro Bay? EBN asked Morro Bay Community Development Director, Airlin Singewald this question and fhe responded, “If a church came forward with a bid to provide a warming center, depending on the scope and duration, the City may view the use as a temporary ancillary use to the primary use of the property (a church).
“As a temporary and ancillary use, a warming center would not require a use permit regardless of the zoning of the property. A Coastal Development Permit would only be required if development was proposed along with the warming center, through the creation of a new structure, for example.”
Other types of facilities don’t need anyone’s permission. “Properties zoned Community Commercial (CC) and Public Facilities (PF) allow emergency shelters by right,” he explained, “meaning no use permit would be required. Again, if a structure needed to be built as part of the project scope, a Coastal Development Permit would be required from the City.”
He said more relevant information could be found in Zoning Ordinance No. 17.30.100 titled “Emergency Services,” on the City’s website (see: https://bit.ly/4hIoWr8.
