On Feb. 3, new details were released about Chico’s upcoming Pallet Shelter at a press conference on the construction site at 2352 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. 

Mayor Andrew Coolidge, Public Works Director of Operations & Maintenance Erik Gustafson and City Manager Mark Orme spoke about the progress made on the shelter as required in Warren v. Chico settlement agreements, and its upcoming opening date. 

The Pallet Shelter site, previously the location of Silver Dollar BMX Association, plans to open its doors by early March. The site contains 177 Pallet Shelters with a total of 354 beds, two in each room. Each Pallet is 7.5×8.5 feet and equipped with heating and cooling, storage, outlets and lockable doors.

The site will eventually include three portable restrooms and one hand washing station per 50 residents. A hospitality tent will be erected as a common area for residents and food service staff to provide one hot meal and smaller snacks each day.

An area for showers and laundry services will also be provided for residents to use once per week, along with faucets and drinking fountains. 

Pets will be allowed at the site, so long as they are well-behaved, said Coolidge. 

A portable office, donated by the Jesus Center, will be installed this week for administrative and service provider staff.

“This is not intended to be the end of the road for somebody on the street that is homeless, that finds themself in a difficult position,” said Orme. “This is meant to be a stepping stone.”

Behavioral Health will work alongside The Department of Employment and Social Services to help unhoused residents find work and mental health resources. A housing navigator will also work to provide residents with long-term housing solutions. 

“How residents will be chosen is still in the works, those are still conversations we are having,” Orme said. “We will come up with the most optimized decision for Chico based upon best practices that have been successful elsewhere.”

Once the shelter opens, the city will enact a seven-day outreach plan with unhoused individuals in the Chico community. During this week, Orne said, behavioral professionals will work with individuals to determine the best shelter options for them. 

After this, unhoused individuals camping on public property will be given a 72-hour notice by law enforcement to either move into a shelter bed or be evicted.

“The enforcement process will be kind of a long-term, programmatic, strategic approach that we’re confident will be successful,” said Coolidge.  

Updates on the Pallet Shelter are ongoing and will be available to the public as decisions are made in regards to a general manager for the shelter and service providers.

Ava Norgrove can be reached at [email protected].