San Joaquin County could soon be dealt a massive blow when it comes to managing the homeless crisis – losing 250 beds that are currently being occupied by the unhoused. 

The City of Stockton declared an emergency to protect the homeless in the community on Monday after the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless announced that they would closing the doors to their facilities on Aug. 15. 

And while the declaration is a precautionary measure meant to shine a light on the urgent matter, losing a place for 250 unhoused individuals to sleep would likely send shockwaves through the already-stressed apparatus in place to aid the homeless in the county. 

“The local emergency declaration is being made due to the potential public health and safety emergency, which includes the risk of severe injury, suffering, and extreme peril of life and safety that could result should the hundreds of unsheltered individuals currently served by the Shelter be displaced within the Stockton community,” the city wrote in a statement announcing the development. “The emergency declaration is a precautionary measure that will help to stabilize services by providing the City with the resources and authority to address the needs of those currently being served by the Shelter, including the ability to allocate funding, enter contracts with other service providers, and make immediate decisions related to public health and safety.”

With additional funding the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless has indicated to city officials that they would be willing to stay open past the Aug. 15 date to aid in the transition to a new organization potentially providing the services to the community. 

The City of Stockton and the county had been looking at adding a low-barrier homeless shelter to the county last year – hoping to add 125 beds to address the shortfall of 160 beds that the city was facing as recently as October of 2022. 

Losing the additional 250 beds will only drive the county further into the red when it comes to providing shelter for unhoused individuals. 

While communities like Manteca have invested money in hiring personnel like Manteca Community Resource Officer Mike Kelly to help connect unhoused individuals with services available to them, many of those services are based out of Stockton – which serves as the county seat and contains many of the government buildings where programs for the homeless operate from. 

The Stockton Shelter for the Homeless did not include any information on its website about the closure, or about the configuration of beds that would be unavailable if the Aug. 15 deadline were to approach without a resolution. According to the organization’s website, it currently manages 357 beds spaced out over a variety of locations – including the 160 bed men’s shelter and the 105 bed women’s and family shelter. 

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.