The delivery of a third homeless shelter unit this week means in a month or so up to another 25 homeless men will no longer be sleeping on the streets or camping illegally in Manteca.

The dorm will house up to 25 individuals.

It is being added to a pair already in place: One housing 25 women and one housing 25 men.

The men’s dorm was filled within days of it being ready to house individuals.

At the time the third dorm unit was ordered in late October for  placement at the city’s emergency shelter in the parking lot at 555 Industrial Park Drive, there was a sizeable waiting list of homeless men willing to get off the streets.

The portable building still needs to be set up and connected to utilizes.

The women’s dorm typically has capacity.

The men’s dorm has 23 individuals most of the time.

The city keeps two of the beds in the current men’s shelter open so Manteca Police can use them to direct homeless there if they come across them illegally sleeping or camping in places they are not allowed to be.

By keeping the two beds open, police can put pressure on specific homeless they encounter to either go there or else move on and possibly even be cited.

And they can continue to keep the pressure on if the specific homeless individual simply moves to another location unless they accept the available bed.

 The $330,939 cost of the third dorm is being covered by a federal grant. 

It is coming from pass-through federal Community Block Grant Funds designed to assist with city programs that help low-income residents

That means just like the original dorms that were opened for use last April, there has been no local tax dollars spent in securing the structures.

In addition to overnight shelter, the third dorm will allow additional guests to access day services including meals, showers, clothing, a resource center, transportation, and transitional housing services.

 Getting the homeless shelter up and running was one of the 2024 projects the city manager’s office noted during Tuesday’s special council meeting reviewing last year’s citywide accomplishments and establishing spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1.

Other homeless related efforts last year included receiving a donation of eight refurbished and insulated  8-foot by 20-foot containers to provide transitional housing.

The donation was  made by Fresh Start Charities.

The transitional housing containers will provide much-needed temporary housing.

They will play a critical role in helping unsheltered individuals transition toward independence and permanent housing.

 One of City Manager Toni Lundgren’s goals for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is to develop the first phase conceptual plan for the permanent homeless navigation center.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com