Homeless Action Sonoma breaks ground on tiny home homeless shelter in Boyes Hot Springs

Homeless Action Sonoma took a big step forward toward its goal of building a tiny house shelter on Sonoma Highway.|

Homeless Action Sonoma took a big step forward toward its goal of building a tiny house shelter on Sonoma Highway. On Sunday, the Sonoma Valley nonprofit hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the building process.

“There is the permanent facility to build, there is a collaboration to form between all nonprofits. There are working protocols to develop that give the clients one-stop access to the services they need, there are naysayers to educate,” HAS Founder Annie Falandes said in her closing speech. “But this organization, is no longer doing it alone. We have a community to support us. Thank you.”

The nonprofit is working to place 18 tiny homes that can serve up to 22 unsheltered residents, along with the support services needed to operate a shelter on the property it purchased last year at 18820 Sonoma Highway for $965,000. The tiny homes have been purchased, and are waiting for the property to be prepped before they can be placed and given a bright, rainbow-colored coat of paint, according to project renderings.

Falandes was joined by Sonoma Mayor Jack Ding and Springs Municipal Advisory Council Chair Maite Iturri in celebrating the occasion. Homeless Action Sonoma’s board members, clients and supporters were also treated to a poem before the ground was blessed by Father Alvin Villaruel of St. Francis Solano Catholic Church and Rabbi Steve Finley of Wine Country Rabbi, along with a Native American proclamation.

It is unclear when the project will be completed. HAS hoped to have the shelters up last winter, but ran into issues with permitting and grading the land. The nonprofit is still short of their $2 million fundraising goal, largely because of unexpected construction costs.

“Grading [land] is complicated. Like, it really is, and it's expensive,” Permit Sonoma Policy Manager Bradley Dunn told the Index-Tribune in April.

Falandes asked for financial and volunteer support to get the project over the finish line. She said they have 82 unsheltered residents signed up, which represents an estimated 41% of the homeless population in Sonoma Valley.

“These are not easy intake forms: they take about a hour or more to complete and ask a lot of invasive questions. Thank you, all of you, the clients, who have shown trust in HAS...,” she said, while vowing to “win over” the other 59% of local homeless residents.

“I have said from the beginning it is going to take the support of the entire Sonoma city area if we are going to end homelessness, make the movie, and franchise the concept. It appears to be happening. Thank you, Thank you, thank you,” Falandes said.

Learn more about Homeless Action Sonoma at hassonoma.org.

Contact editor/publisher Emily Charrier at emily.charrier@sonomanews.com.

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