MCHC planning winter homeless shelter

December 2, 2020 — For years, the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center has worked with local faith groups to run a winter homeless shelter, which houses 15-24 people in addition to the year-round shelter and the transitional housing programs. This year, with pandemic safety measures in place, the year-round shelter has reduced its beds from 24 to 17, and the center is scrambling to find staff to operate the winter shelter at a new site. The Board of Supervisors recently passed an urgency ordinance to allow properties in the coastal zone to operate as shelters without a use permit, and there are three potential properties where the shelter could open in the new year, as long as there are enough people to run it. Hospitality Center interim Director Paul Davis talked about efforts to bring people in out of the cold. Applications to work at the winer shelter are available at the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center’s webpage.