Harrison Shelter
Weeks after noting a 60% reduction of unsheltered homeless in the City of Corona, local officials snipped the ribbon Wednesday on the renovated Harrison Shelter/Navigation Center, combining transitional housing as well as services for clients to navigate the next steps in leaving the streets behind.
As a full-service shelter and navigation center, clients will receive lodging in tandem with on-site case management, streamlined access to social services and permanent housing resources.
“You started it,” Corona Planning and Housing Commissioner Karen Alexander, exclaimed to former Corona Councilwoman Yolanda Carillo. Carrillo, along with Corona Councilman Jim Steiner began investigating the possibility of the shelter several years ago.
This past December, Corona’s City Council approved a partnership with Mercy House Living Centers to operate the City’s homeless system of services, while investing $3 million in the renovation of the Harrison Shelter.
The center is pet friendly with an onsite clinic that will provide medical care, mental health and substance use treatment, oral care, post hospital recuperative care, as well as meals, emergency shelter, wrap-around services, and permanent housing resources.
Mercy House will also operate the City’s 12 units of supportive housing, a tenant-based rental assistance program, and a transportation/meal services program for day services.
In 2019, the annual homeless count identified 164 unsheltered homeless in the City of Corona. Since the Homeless Plan was launched in June of 2020, 99 homeless residents have been connected to shelter, services, and housing. Accounting for a 60% reduction. The city says there are still 65 unsheltered homeless residents on the street.
Following this year’s annual countywide Point-In-Time (PIT) homeless survey conducted in late January, the subsequent report determined, “Increases in homelessness can be attributed to multiple economic and
social factors, such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, increasing rental costs and low vacancy rates, community and family breakdown and physical and mental health challenges,”
Corona’s stated goal is “Functional Zero,” in which all are placed in housing and the system is nimble enough to quickly respond as others fall into homelessness.
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