The local homeless shelter manager is asking for help from the community to offer Hollister's homeless a place to shower for jobs.
County Shelter Manager Cindy Parr said some of the homeless do not shower until the shelter opens.
"There is no place for them to shower for those who have jobs," Parr said. "Now is the time, there is more that can be done."
The shelter, which normally is in operation from the Monday after Thanksgiving through March 15, has shower facilities and hygiene products but with the doors closed, "right now there is nothing, with us not being open. Everyone had to go back to the streets," Parr said.
She added that this year, thanks to additional funding, the shelter stayed open until March 31 and if it gets more funding, Parr is pushing to open the shelter doors in the beginning of November.
The homeless used to shower and have access to cooking facilities at the Esperanza Center but are no longer allowed to do so there.
"They tend to leave a mess," Parr said. "We have had house meetings where I've said, 'You're adults and you need to clean up after yourself.'"
The First Presbyterian Church also used to offer showers for the homeless, but Parr said the church has events going on and is not currently letting them shower there.
Parr said these people need to be clean.
"If they are not clean (for job interviews), they don't stand a chance at being hired."
She estimated there are six people that need to have access to showers for jobs. But if there were a place to do so, Parr said more would use it.
A group of Hollister homeless were staying at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area in the camping area. Parr said she paid the costs for them to stay out there and shower but after about two weeks, park officials told them that the park was not a camp site and they had to leave. Four have now moved onto Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park outside of Gilroy.
"We don't know what to do with these guys this year," Parr said.
She added that the shelter had taken in 51 homeless this year and many of them had no idea what to do when the shelter closed for the season.
"When they became homeless, there was a facility for them. A lot of them didn't know what to do," Parr said.
If you know of a facility where the homeless can shower or would like to volunteer facilities, please call Cindy Parr at 801-9531.
Colin McConville Colin McConville is a reporter with the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him by email or at (831) 637-5566.
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