The City of Banning will be making new efforts to improve living conditions for the homeless community staying at the encampment off the I-10 freeway. They have planned to construct a new village shelter, “Opportunity Village Shelter”, to replace the old Ramsey Street Village Shelter that burned down in 2020, KESQ Channel 3 News reports.
“The City of Banning is trying to improve the living conditions for those staying at the homeless encampment right off the I-10 freeway while it works to build a new village to replace the old one,” according to the May 2 article by Crystal Jimenez.
According to the news article, the new shelter village is designed to help those living in the homeless encampment off of the I-10 freeway on the vacant lot on Bryant Street. Many of the people living there now originally resided at the Ramsey Street Village Shelter before it burned down in December 2020. For a time, Riverside County and the Red Cross distributed hotel vouchers to those displaced by the fire. When those vouchers recently ran out, the result was an increase in homeless people on the streets.
KESQ Channel 3 further reports that the new shelter will be called Opportunity Village Shelter and will be located on Bryant Street east of San Gorgonio Avenue. It is expected to be finished sometime in June. Of the $500,000 cost, $200,000 of the funds are insurance monies recovered from the fire damage to the former shelter village. The new building will house up to 40 individuals and will offer security, showers, laundry units, bathrooms and meeting places. Future plans include internet access and a computer as well.
To get ready for the move, the City of Banning has brought in a large bin for those at the Bryant Street encampment to store their extra materials, the article reports. The locked bin is being monitored by the Faith in Action nonprofit, which is located across the street. Anyone with such storage needs should contact Faith in Action. A trash bin has also been provided if needed.
According to Banning City Manager Doug Schultze in the article, the main issue now concerns the misdirected kindness of people who are leaving food at the edge of the encampment. He advises that most of the food is not used but remains to decay. Schultze has advised that there are better ways to help, such as donating through local nonprofits.
