By Kathy Chouteau
Construction on the Bridge of Hope Center project is slated to be completed in November, Bay Area Rescue Mission (BARM) Development Manager Riley Silva recently announced in a video posted to social media.
Once completed, the shelter for women and children at 257 S. 3rd St. will be a 10,000 square foot, two-story structure with 26 bedrooms and a total capacity of 114 beds.
According to Silva, 60 percent of the Bay Area’s homeless population are women and women with children and “50 percent of those who walk through our doors are actually fleeing a domestic violence situation.”
“And so this represents more than just a new building. This is safety. This is a new life, a new start for women and children…to get off the street,” Silva added.
Bridge of Hope Center, which is designed in the Spanish Mission style, will include a landscaped outdoor courtyard with a play area for toddlers and young children, as well as outdoor tables and seating. The residents will be enrolled in a full-time program with wrap-around services including meals, education, counseling, job, life-skills training and more, per city documents.
Based in the Iron Triangle, Bay Area Rescue Mission is a nonprofit that provides care for people facing homelessness and poverty, including food, shelter, showers, clothes and educational and career services aimed at helping people in need help themselves. Learn more about the organization here.
