Congressman, City Leaders Work Toward Permanent Housing for Homeless

On Thursday, Aug. 27, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31) toured the Homeless Access Center in San Bernardino and met with city leaders to discuss homelessness in the Inland Empire. Rep. Aguilar toured the facility with San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Rikke Van Johnson, City Attorney Gary Saenz and City Council Member Virginia Marquez. The tour was facilitated by the center’s Deputy Director of Housing, Brandon Mims, and the CEO of Mercy House, Larry Haynes. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to tour the facility and meet with our city leaders to discuss homelessness in San Bernardino. This is a huge problem in our community, especially among our veteran population. I look forward to working with our community and local leaders to curb this crisis and to help San Bernardino families find safe and stable homes,” said Rep. Aguilar. Mayor Davis said, “We appreciate Congressman Aguilar taking time to visit the Access Center. This is one measure the City is taking to address a concern that impacts all communities." Council Member Marquez added, “We've learned a lot more about homelessness through the Access Center and Mercy House. Providing vouchers or similar resources serves as an immediate form of assistance, but our staff focuses on permanent housing options and makes every attempt to get to the underlying issues. Only then can we connect people to the right resources that will, in the long-term, perhaps prevent homelessness altogether." The San Bernardino Access Center opened in May of this year. It is managed by Mercy House Living Center, where it currently helps between 25 and 60 people per day. The center provides a number of resources for members of the community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including food vouchers, bus passes, rapid re-housing and more. If you or someone you know is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, please call 908-888-4880 for assistance.