Homeless Shelter Finds Temporary Location in Santa Clarita

Nonprofit organization Bridge to Home has temporarily relocated its shelter operations for individuals lacking permanent housing to a parcel of vacant land on Pine Street in Santa Clarita owned by Trammell Crow Co. and Clarion Partners.The two companies are the developers behind the Center at Needham Ranch industrial park. They will allow the nonprofit to use the site until a new, permanent shelter completes construction on Drayton Street.“This has truly been a community effort in helping our most vulnerable neighbors,” Executive Director of Bridge to Home Michael Foley said in a statement. “We are grateful to Trammell Crow Co. for stepping up and providing the land necessary to house our shelter operations until the new facility can be completed. I also want to thank Camelot Moving and Storage, all of our volunteers, the College of the Canyons Civic Engagement Committee, the PLACE Team and our amazing staff at Bridge to Home.”For the past year, shelter operations have been located at the city of Santa Clarita’s Newhall Community Center, but now the larger facility will allow for better social distancing.Six modular units that were at the Drayton Street site, along with four additional units donated by the Saugus School District, have been erected at the Pine Street site. This new configuration of 10 buildings will provide enough space to meet public health requirements and will house the shelter until the new building has been completed on Drayton Street.“We are happy to be able to provide a place that helps Bridge to Home continue to provide the resources, services and shelter to those in Santa Clarita who are experiencing homelessness,” John Balestra, principal with Trammell Crow’s SoCal-Los Angeles office, said in a statement. “Our partnership has established strong roots in the Santa Clarita community, and we are proud of the contributions we are making in the creation of a major business park that will generate many hundreds of local employment opportunities for area residents. We strongly believe in the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.”The City Planning Commission approved the permanent shelter facility at the Drayton Street site on March 16. Construction will begin this summer. A capital campaign is underway to help raise funds for the project.“This project really speaks to the heart of what the Santa Clarita community is all about,” said Bridge to Home Board President Tracey Carpentier. “We are blessed to have so many people who truly believe in helping their neighbors and in the mission of Bridge to Home.”