St. Vincent’s Seasonal Shelter Hosts Housing Fair
With Closure Imminent, Agencies Combine Efforts to Secure Continued Client-housing

   SAN DIEGO — St. Vincent de Paul Village’s city-funded single adult seasonal shelter, located at the corner of 16th and Newton, will host a housing fair on Monday, March 12, from 2 to 4 p.m.

   Clients of the temporary shelter, which closes its doors on Thursday, March 15 barring an unforeseen eleventh hour extension, will meet with representatives of 14 agencies in an attempt to secure some type of housing before the closure, says Jack Bolick, program manager of the seasonal shelter program.

   "We’ll take this opportunity to assist our clients in finding a warm, safe place to call home," Bolick says, adding for some it may be a transitional program like the one offered at the Village or a more permanent living situation for others.
The fair is aimed at determining the housing needs of shelter clients and matching them with residences meeting those requirements.

   But for many clients of the seasonal shelter, a stumbling block stands in the way of dreams of life off the streets, says Bolick.

   "One of the major cycles we strive to break is that of habitual homelessness," he says. "Many of the people who (stay in the seasonal shelter) are looking for a respite from the winter weather and nothing more."

   While those individuals may be difficult to counsel, Bolick says its important to offer events such as the housing fair for the men and women whose time on the streets is only temporary.

   "Everyday I have a client asking me when St. Vincent’s will have an opening in its long-term housing program," Bolick says. "You can see the determination in the eyes of these individuals to get back to a position of self-sufficiency and that’s the reason we’re here."

   For more information on Monday’s housing fair, please call (619) 525-1608.

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