St. Mary’s Community Services recently celebrated its newest housing project with an open house.
The nonprofit celebrated Pathways Neighborhood on Wednesday, June 17, at 545 W. Sonora St. in downtown Stockton. The $18 million project offers single-dwelling modular transitional housing units with 268 beds for unhoused individuals, with on-site supportive services designed to help residents transition into permanent housing, according to St. Mary’s Community Services.
“Several years ago, the community recognized that homelessness was becoming increasingly complex. People were not simply experiencing a lack of housing. Many were struggling with serious health conditions, behavioral health challenges, unemployment, trauma, social isolation and the absence of stable support systems,” said Krista Fiser, St. Mary’s Community Services CEO. “The questions became, how can we create something more than shelter and how do we create a path forward? Pathways neighborhood would emerge from those questions.”
Pathways Neighborhood includes 222 low-barrier beds and 46 recuperative care units. There are single, double rooms, restrooms, common areas, dog areas and a community room. The neighborhood does allow pets.
“Pathways represents more than a number. It represents a belief that people deserve more than survival. People deserve dignity, stability, community and opportunity,” Fiser said. “Opportunity to rest their nervous systems and then connect with health care, access behavioral health, increase income and employment, secure permanent housing, rebuild relationships and reconnect with community.”
Fiser said Pathways Neighborhood is “about halfway full.”
Jaszmin Gutierrez, district representative for Rhodesia Ransom, said the congresswoman had recently helped secure a $1.6 billion in California’s budget to build more affordable and multi-family housing and expand support to those unsheltered.
“She’s going to continue to push for investments in housing and supportive services that give people opportunities on a pathway to long-term stability, just like the one we’re at today,” Gutierrez said. “Projects like this show what can be accomplished when our state resources and strong local partnerships come together.”
When did the project begin?
St. Mary’s Dining Room launched the new project for Pathways Neighborhood in 2022, according to the St. Mary’s Community Services website.
In July 2023, St. Mary’s Dining Room and Stockton city officials unveiled site plans and renderings for the new low-barrier shelter during an event at the Memorial Civic Auditorium in downtown Stockton. Construction was originally expected to be completed by October 2024, The Record previously reported.
The city of Stockton, San Joaquin County, Health Plan of San Joaquin, and Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center supported the Pathways Project.
“This project will help hundreds of individuals take meaningful steps toward health, stability and long-term housing,” said Lizeth Granados, Health Plan of San Joaquin CEO. “At Health Plan, we recognize a deep connection between housing and health every day. When people have a safe place to sleep, their medical needs become more manageable, their recovery from illnesses is more likely. Their ability to engage in preventive care services increases, and simply put, housing is healthcare.”
David Ziolkowski, CEO of St. Joseph’s Medical Center, said they provided over $5 million of direct investment to get the new Pathways Neighborhood “up and running” and to help address housing insecurity and those who are unhoused.
“We are committed to this community, we are committed to this organization, and we are proud to participate in these sorts of public-private partnerships that really improve the health and well-being of our entire community,” Ziolkowski said. “We hope that this helps more people get services they need to become permanently housed because health and housing are intertwined. People are always, always healthier when they have stable housing.”
Ziolkowski went on to describe the project as a “proud moment.”
“We believe that homelessness cannot be solved by one single program or one single organization. It requires a coordinated response that addresses the full spectrum of human needs,” Fiser said. “Although we are still in the early stages of operations, we are already seeing an impact. Residents here who previously were living outdoors are now sleeping safely. Individuals are reconnecting with healthcare providers. People are engaging in case management, employment services and housing planning. Most importantly, we are seeing something that cannot be measured in reports: hope.”
St. Mary’s Community Services also offers other services like a dining room that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, a shower and clothing center, a dental clinic, recuperative care, a navigation center, a day center and emergency and temporary shelters.
To learn more about St. Mary’s Community Services, visit smcares.org.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary’s Community Services holds Pathways Neighborhood open house
Reporting by Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record / The Record
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By Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
