Naomi's House at risk of losing funding in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The fate of the women's shelter at the Poverello House is in the hands of the Fresno County Board of supervisors.

Naomi's House at the Poverello House serves some of the most vulnerable in our community.

If the Fresno County Board of Supervisors approves a new agreement Tuesday morning, Naomi's House will lose the majority of its beds.

The proposal means Naomi's House, the county's only shelter for single women, will drop from 34 beds to just 11.

With COVID-era rescue funding coming to an end, Fresno County is going back to pre-pandemic rules for shelters that service specific groups.

Those rules state those shelters will be limited to 15 percent of the total beds funded in the county.

"The truth is this, women on the streets suffer horrible traumatic events. Sexual abuse, physical assault, the trauma of the streets for women in our community is severe," explained Zack Darrah, CEO of the Poverello House.

The shelter helps women like Janet May, who before moving into Naomi's House was sleeping on a park bench every night.

She's found a sense of community at the shelter.

"Some of the problem people have, I have. Like I was abused once," said Janet.

She's also working on getting a stable job, finding permanent housing, and attending online classes.

"I'm halfway done with my AA degree in business after that I'm going to be going after my BA in business/accounting," said Janet.

Something she says she can't do on a park bench.

But that could become a reality for her and 22 other women depending on how the board of supervisors votes Tuesday.

Action News reached out to Fresno County, which said it does not comment on agenda items before they go to the board of supervisors.

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