The City of Fresno and the Poverello House today unveiled a new installation at the non-profit service provider that replaces the Tuff Sheds used for housing with 30 new pallet shelters designed and built by people with life experience as homeless individuals.  In addition to the Village of Hope project, the Poverello House also plans to expand its navigation and case management services, all funded completely by private sector donations.

The 30 new pallet shelters, made with highly durable insulated composite panels, provide a safe and dignified space of 100 square feet with a structural floor, roof, walls, folding bunk beds, lockable door and six opening windows with screens.  Each shelter is also equipped with heating and air conditioning, battery operated carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and fire extinguisher and will house two individuals, or in the event of an emergency declaration, up to four homeless individuals.

These new units also meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards for emergency shelter beds and could be included as shelter units in the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care’s annual Point in Time count.  The total investment for the new pallet shelter project is $340,000.

“We have neglected our homeless housing issue for far too long and the pandemic finally brought us to take action and replace the old sheds with new shelters that treat the people using them with dignity and respect,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand. “I’m also pleased that so many organizations stepped forward to donate to this important project and invest in the well-being of our most vulnerable residents.”

Under former Mayor Alan Autry, the City of Fresno partnered with the Poverello House in 2002 to place temporary Tuff Sheds on the Poverello House campus to house nearly 120 people living on the streets as a temporary measure until a long term solution was found.  18 years later, the temporary Tuff Sheds were still in place, so the Poverello House, under the new leadership of Executive Director Zack Darrah, made the replacement of these uninhabitable units one of its top priorities.

In addition to the new shelter units, the Poverello House will also put a strong focus on case management and focused navigation by hiring additional navigators/case managers to develop a long term housing plan to move these individuals from temporary shelter to permanent housing.  The Poverello House will also begin conducting targeted outreach daily to encourage those that are homeless to utilize available shelter beds in the Fresno area.

“Even during these very difficult times, the generosity of the community, and our funding partners has been overwhelming,” said Zack Darrah, CEO of the Poverello House . “It does not matter how long it took to replace these shelter units, the task is finally complete, and as we look forward, rest assure, the Poverello House is totally committed to serving those most vulnerable every day of every year, until the need is no longer there.”

Total funds raised for this project, including shelters, increased services, and other long term costs associated with this effort was $903,500, with support coming from the following private sector funding sources:

CalViva                                                                                
Donald E. Gumz Trust                                                       
Bank of America                                                                
Packard Foundation                                                         
Isnardi Foundation                                                           
Rotary Foundation        
Wells Fargo            
Central Valley Community Foundation                 
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The City of Fresno and the Commission for Police Reform (CPR) today announced a comprehensive public outreach campaign to gather input from residents on different aspects of police operations, procedures and policies in response to local and national demands for changes in policing.

The Community Input Sub-Committee of the Commission has created a website at www.fresno-cpr.com that includes a list of CPR members, along with schedules, agendas, minutes and recordings of committee and sub-committee meetings, and contact information for the Commission.

It also features an on-line survey facilitated by the Sociology Department at California State University, Fresno to facilitate questions about respondents’ personal views, experiences, and opinions about policing in Fresno.  The survey, which is anonymous and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete, is available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Punjabi and Arabic.  

Individuals who complete the survey will be able to reply with their comments in a text box following each question. The survey has a time limit for completion and will only allow one submission from the same IP address.  The commission will use the responses to help identify reform recommendations to the City Council for consideration.

Here are the links to the surveys:
English: bit.ly/cprsurvey-e

Spanish: bit.ly/cprsurvey-s

Hmong: bit.ly/cprsurvey-h (Translation pending. Link will be active on Monday)
Punjabi: bit.ly/cprsurvey-p

Arabic: bit.ly/cprsurvey-a

Members of the CPR Community Input Sub-Committee will be available for interviews on the public outreach campaign.  For more information, email [email protected].

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 7, 2020.  The delivery of some City services may be affected.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, September 8.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Labor Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Code Enforcement:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.  Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Labor Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Sunday bus routes/schedule in effect.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details.  FAX route maps and schedules are available on the City’s website.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Labor Day.  Office closed for citation payments.  Online services available at www.fresno.gov/parking.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  Woodward and Roeding Parks will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  All other parks will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Some parks amenities such as picnic shelters and playground equipment, as well as recreation centers and the Regional Sports Complex remain closed due to COVID-19.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Planning and Development:  Office closed.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Labor Day holiday.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Rental Housing:  Closed

Residential Solid Waste:  Administrative offices closed.  Normal residential and commercial collection schedule; for questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center) remain closed due to COVID-19.  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Labor Day holiday, please call 3-1-1 or use our FresGO mobile app.

The City of Fresno today announced that its community engagement plan and process to select a package that will invest $66.5 million of cap-and-trade funding from the State of California through the Transformative Climate Communities program has won multiple awards from the American Planning Association (APA).  The Transform Fresno Inclusive Community Engagement Process and Plan was honored with the Central Section 2020 Award of Excellence and Achievement in Planning and the California Chapter 2020 Award of Merit in the Public Outreach category.

The APA is the professional organization for city and regional planners in the United States and annually recognizes the most outstanding efforts in planning throughout the nations to encourage quality in planning and increase the public’s awareness of the planning profession through recognizing outstanding achievement in the planning field.  The Public Outreach award honors an individual, project, or program that uses information and education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens or specific segments of the public and celebrates how planning improves a community’s quality of life.

“This process was the most collaborative and transparent that the City of Fresno has ever attempted and these awards speak to the diligence of the residents who spent countless hours identifying and analyzing projects that will ultimately transform our most vulnerable communities,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand. “They deserve this high level of recognition for their efforts to raise the bar for community engagement and provide an exceptional blueprint for government projects that want to maximize the power of public discussion.”

Of particular interest to the APA was the City’s approach of conducting several “pop-up” workshops in various locations and at various times, rather than conducting one larger public meeting or workshop, and the approach of creating a procurement process that enabled local organizations to participate in the implementation of the plan, in order to increase the capacity of the local “civic infrastructure.”

The award will be presented by virtual meeting as part of the 2020 California Chapter APA conferenced on Wednesday September 16, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. PDT.

The City of Fresno is offering free access inspections through the Accessible Fresno Small Business Initiative (Accessible Fresno).

As businesses reopen, or prepare to reopen, following closures due to COVID-19, the City of Fresno recognizes the need to assist small businesses with their accessibility compliance efforts.  The City is providing eligible small businesses with free Certified Access Specialists (CASp) inspection services.  A CASp can inspect a business for construction-related accessibility issues and provide information to help make a reasonable compliance schedule.

Many accessibility issues are simple to fix if a business knows what it needs to do.  Having a CASp inspection and working on the compliance schedule shows a business’ commitment to access and provide legal benefits.  Courts look favorably upon proactive businesses that have a plan of action to fix their building, even if the plan is not yet finished.  With this in mind, the Accessible Fresno small business initiative can help by covering all CASP inspection fees.  A CASp inspection is the first step towards becoming ADA compliant, which not only helps to avoid unwanted litigation, but also increases the number of potential customers.

“Working side-by-side with businesses to help them understand and comply with health, safety, and consumer regulations is just one more way that Fresno is becoming even more business friendly,” said Mayor Lee Brand. “These resources will help to make sure our residents enjoy access to provide for their needs.”

The City of Fresno recognizes that these have been unprecedented times.  As the local economy starts to open back up, this is a great opportunity to help small businesses maximize commerce by creating a welcoming environment for the entire community.

“The Administration is committed to work with our local business owners to make Fresno more accessible so that our city becomes a convenient and welcoming place for everyone,” said City Manager Wilma Quan. “We’re providing businesses with the information and support needed to enhance accessibility and improve access.”

There is no cost to the business to apply or participate in Accessible Fresno.  Interested businesses can view the eligibility requirements and apply online at www.fresno.gov/AccessibleFresno.

On June 30, at the Annual State of the City address, Mayor Lee Brand announced that the City of Fresno is conducting a nationwide search for the next Police Chief.

The City is looking for a leader with a thorough understanding of community policing and a track record of working well with diverse populations.  We are looking for someone with a reputation for building community trust and working collaboratively with the community.  Fresno’s next Chief of Police must be able to lead the department into a new era of policing and implement the recommendations coming from the Police Reform Commission through the City Council and Executive Committee.  We are searching for the right leader to keep the people of Fresno safe while preventing crime and reducing crime rates.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by August 6, 2020.  View a copy of the job announcement.