FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Fresno announced the launch of the second phase of Project Off-Ramp to continue working to give unhoused individuals a chance to have a place to call home.
City officials say, starting on Tuesday, March 21, Phase 2 will provide shelter for more than 350 people for the following 100 days.
We are identifying barriers and finding creative ways to solve housing problems for our unhoused community with a pathway to housing and providing wrap-around service. We must challenge ourselves to be creative and compassionate and to do more to ensure our unhoused, families, community and vulnerable population are cared for.
Annalisa Perea, Council Vice President
They say this goal will be accomplished through a combination of the city’s ongoing shelter operations (many of which are on Parkway Drive) and through the acquisition of additional motels across the city.
In addition to the ongoing shelter operations, the City will provide the following number of units:
- 52 units at The Villa located at 817 N Parkway Dr., opening Tuesday, March 21.
- 232 units between The Parkway (959 N. Parkway Dr.), a motel shelter in District 4, and a motel shelter in District 6. All units will become available within the 100-day window.
Since its beginning in 2021, Project Off-Ramp initially facilitated the transition of 650 unsheltered people off Fresno’s freeway embankments and canal banks housing hundreds of people.
In total, city officials say 80% of those who were assisted accepted shelter in motels purchased by the City of Fresno.
I am 100% confident we are on the right path toward eliminating chronic homelessness in our city.
Jerry Dyer, Fresno’s Mayor
According to city authorities, this program creates opportunities and provides care and dignity for the unsheltered and has become a model for the state of California in resolving unsheltered homelessness.
Since the launch of Project Off-Ramp, the City of Fresno says it has provided shelter for more than 1,700 people, the vast majority of whom are now connected to services, programs, and permanent housing.