A project that would allow the Turlock Gospel Mission to use a South Broadway property as a day center for unhoused persons hit a snag Tuesday when the city council failed to sign off on an amended loan agreement.
The loan for $491,053 consists of more than $90,000 from the state's HOME fund, and $400,000 in Community Development Block Grants — part of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Coupled with money that was allocated to the project since it began in 2016, the total cost of the project is closing in on $1 million.
The main sticking points at Tuesday’s city council meeting appeared to be the lack of an operating agreement between the city and TGM, and the length of the forgivable loan, with TGM favoring a 10-year term, while councilmembers Pam Franco and Rebecka Monez lobbied for a longer term, something TGM board president Derik Bakker opposed.
“The operating agreement is fair and reasonable,” said Bakker. “The 17-year term? Not fair and not reasonable. That ship has sailed…Everything we’ve done since 2016 is on a 10-year note. The precedent is 10 years. It’s always been 10 years.”
Franco said she has a “trust issue” with Turlock Gospel Mission.
“My biggest problem has been in the past that promises were made and promises weren’t kept,” said Franco, who alleged that TGM’s storage facility was not being used for storage purposes. “It was in their agreement that they would provide storage, with an outside opening for people to come in and store their things. Lo and behold, they’ve got desks in there, and aren’t storing the things. And that came from a homeless person.”
District 3 Councilmember Cassandra Abram took exception with that characterization.
“I have confidence that the Turlock Gospel Mission is going to try to operate this to serve their mission as long for as they possibly can,” said Abram, who said she supports the 10-year term as it fits with precedent and is more reasonable for TGM. “And I would like to note also, I understand that there’s a lot of frustration and history, but that storage facility is actually a storage facility. I’ve been in it. I was in it earlier this year. And it has all the storage there. So I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s not that when that’s what it is.”
After Monez chimed in with her objection to a 10-year term, Franco moved the council take action on the item, with Monez seconding the motion.
The item failed by a 4-1 vote, with Abram the only member to vote in favor of the amendments.
“I voted for it because we need this project to come to some conclusion,” said Abram. “And an open facility will help make improvements for downtown businesses and for people experiencing homelessness. I want to see progress.”
Milt Trieweiler, a candidate for the city council in District 2, rose during the public comment period to support the amendment.
“This is a good project for TGM and I think we should go ahead with this and make this become a successful thing in our inventory,” said Trieweiler. “That’s what the whole purpose of this is, to see that we’re providing for the less fortunate people.”
The project has faced several starts and stops since it began in 2016, and the project was put on hold two years ago.
Despite all the rancor at Tuesday’s council meeting, Turlock Gospel Mission executive director Christian Curby remains confident compromise can be reached.
“I’m hopeful,” said Curby. “Aside from the comments made by a councilmember that were unfounded and baseless, we have done a lot of great work with the city over the years, including personal property storage…We’re all very hopeful we can find a solution and move beyond what feels like politics.”
In January, the council voted by a 3-2 margin to close an existing day center pilot program that had been in operation for about eight months, located behind the United Samaritans Foundation. Abram and District 1 councilmember Kevin Bixel voted to keep the day center open.
