Community members, Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter representatives and supporters gather for the Life Advancement Center ribbon cutting Sept. 10 in Yuba City. Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - When the Salvation Army’s Depot Family Crisis Center in Marysville announced its closure this past January, many were concerned about what the loss would mean for unhoused residents throughout the region.

The closure marked the loss of one of Yuba-Sutter’s largest and longest-running family shelters, leaving many to ask: What now? The Depot had operated for more than three decades and served roughly 150 households, or about 400 individuals, in a typical year. Less than eight months later, that question is beginning to be answered.

On Sept. 10, Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter formally unveiled its new Life Advancement Center, located at 916 Plumas St. in Yuba City, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. The center is envisioned as a comprehensive campus designed to help individuals and families move from crisis to stability and, ultimately, permanent housing. Services include emergency shelter, family accommodations, recuperative care, behavioral health and recovery support, transitional housing, young adult services, case management and housing navigation.

The newly renovated Life Advancement Center in Yuba City during its Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting celebration. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

“The idea is, it’s a stepping stone,” said Joseph Hale, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter. “The goal is we don’t want to be your revolving door of people continuing homelessness. We want to see a shift out of it in an upward path into something better.”

That goal is particularly significant for families. The center includes private family accommodations intended to allow parents and children to remain together while receiving services, helping restore some of the capacity lost when the Depot closed.

The center also substantially expands the region’s shelter and recovery capacity. Habitat lists up to 20 beds for recuperative care, intended for people who are medically stable enough to leave the hospital but still need a safe place to recover, an option Hale and staff said has been greatly lacking in the Yuba-Sutter region.

“This is absolutely low barrier to entry,” said Karen Gheorma, Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter’s director of Supportive Outreach Services. “Just give us a call and we can help coordinate.”

Representatives from Peach Tree Health touring the facility during the Sept. 10 open house were particularly interested in the recuperative care program as well as the center’s emergency shelter capacity.

“It’s just hard to get them in because beds are always full,” said Kelly M., a senior case manager with Peach Tree Health. “One thing that I’m noticing is that I have some patients who are saying that now police are picking them up even if they’re sleeping at all on the street … resulting in court dates and fines.”

Hale said having shelter services available 24 hours a day could help address some of those situations by giving law enforcement and service providers another place to connect people with shelter rather than leaving them without an immediate option.

A family room inside the Life Advancement Center at 916 Plumas St. in Yuba City. The center includes accommodations and support services for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

The Life Advancement Center occupies the former First Baptist Church at 916 Plumas St. The property previously operated as a nearly 20,000-square-foot church facility before Habitat converted it for its new use. Hale said renovation costs totaled about $3 million and included extensive work to the building’s plumbing, air conditioning, fire sprinkler system and interior walls.

“We really gutted it,” Hale said. “Technically, it’s a brand-new building, even though it looks the same.”

Habitat is also continuing to raise support for the center through its Spaces of Hope campaign, which allows businesses, organizations, foundations, families and individuals to sponsor specific rooms, program areas, furnishings and other portions of the facility. Sponsorship opportunities range from individual beds and lockers to family rooms, recuperative care rooms and larger program areas.

For Habitat, however, the larger goal is for the center to be a temporary stop rather than a destination. The organization says its housing navigation services will help participants pursue permanent housing through rental assistance, landlord engagement, move-in coordination, supportive housing and other pathways toward long-term independence.