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Lompoc’s homeless triage center closes after one month

Posted at 4:41 PM, Oct 10, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-10 21:31:52-04

The triage center set up for the homeless at River Park in Lompoc is now closed after its planned 30-day run.

The triage center opened on September 10, the deadline for people living in the Santa Ynez Riverbed to move out.

City officials say approximately 60 people sought help at the triage center in those 30 days. Some were reunited with their families or secured permanent housing, while others were placed in drug rehab programs or went to clean and sober emergency shelters.

“As of this morning, there were about 16 people (remaining) and many of them found rooms for rent and made those connections and we helped them to move their belongings and get them to the shelter safely, so a lot of people made some really positive choices this morning and made some positive moves,” said Christie Alarcon, Community Development Program Manager for the City of Lompoc.

The City of Lompoc is still working on cleaning up the riverbed. The city council recently declared the riverbed a local emergency in hopes the state will pitch in to help restore the area.

The homeless triage center at River Park in Lompoc opened on Sept. 10, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Lompoc)