Raymond Kalra
THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Operation SafeHouse is clarifying how it continues to serve young people in the Coachella Valley after its emergency shelter in Thousand Palms stopped housing youth.
News Channel 3 sat down with Operation SafeHouse Executive Director Kendra Tankersley-Davis for a tour of the Thousand Palms campus and an interview about what has changed, what services remain available and what happens now when a young person in the Valley needs emergency shelter.
The organization operates two facilities on the Thousand Palms property. Harrison House, its transitional living program, remains open and occupied. The neighboring Operation SafeHouse of the Desert emergency shelter is no longer being used to house youth.
Tankersley-Davis said funding is the primary reason for that change.
She said operating a shelter costs more than $1 million and the organization was no longer able to secure enough funding to continue housing youth at the Thousand Palms building. SafeHouse has continued applying for grants and seeking partnerships in hopes of eventually reopening the facility as an emergency shelter.
Despite the change, Tankersley-Davis stressed that Operation SafeHouse itself remains operational in the Coachella Valley.
She said the organization served about 2,500 Valley youth over the past year through its different programs, which include outreach, mental health services, transitional housing and emergency shelter assistance.
What happens when a Valley youth needs emergency shelter?
Tankersley-Davis said young people in the Coachella Valley can still contact Operation SafeHouse directly when they need a safe place.
The organization’s street outreach team first determines where the young person is and whether they are currently safe. Staff can then respond, pick them up and connect them with food, shelter and other immediate needs before transporting them to SafeHouse’s emergency shelter in Riverside.
Tankersley-Davis said three young people from the Coachella Valley had been picked up by the organization within the previous two weeks.
She acknowledged that having the emergency shelter outside the Valley can make the process more difficult.
“There is no question that it makes it a little bit more challenging,” Tankersley-Davis said during the interview, adding that the organization continues working to reopen the Thousand Palms shelter.
SafeHouse also works with transportation partners and says Harrison House can serve as a safe point for a young person while staff arrange the next steps.
A referral is not required
Tankersley-Davis said a young person does not need a formal referral from law enforcement, a school or another agency to reach out for help.
“If the youth feels unsafe, that’s all we need,” she said.
SafeHouse says young people can call the organization directly, and some have shown up at its facilities seeking assistance. If abuse is suspected, staff are mandated reporters and must make the appropriate report.
The organization says it also works with youth facing a range of circumstances, including homelessness, family conflict and situations where a young person does not feel safe at home.
If SafeHouse does not have room available, Tankersley-Davis said staff will work with community partners to find another option.
SafeHouse responds to News Channel 3’s previous reporting
The interview comes after Operation SafeHouse posted a statement following News Channel 3’s previous report about the Thousand Palms emergency shelter.
The organization raised concerns about that report and said its ongoing work in the Coachella Valley had not been fully reflected.
During Monday’s interview, News Channel 3 showed Tankersley-Davis the calls, texts and other attempts made to contact the organization before the original story aired.
Tankersley-Davis said those messages never reached her and apologized for the breakdown in communication.
“The message should have gotten to me and to Sean, our senior director of programs,” she said.
News Channel 3’s previous report stated that the Thousand Palms facility was no longer operating as an emergency shelter. It did not report that Operation SafeHouse had stopped providing services altogether.
Tankersley-Davis said the organization plans to increase communication with schools, community partners and others across the Valley so people better understand what services remain available.
Changes already being made at the Thousand Palms site
News Channel 3 also previously raised concerns about signage at the Thousand Palms property directing people looking for help.
Tankersley-Davis said during the interview that the signage needed improvement and that larger, clearer signs had been ordered. The previous signs at the location have since been taken down.
She said anyone who comes to the property looking for help can also go to Harrison House next door, where staff are available around the clock.
Tankersley-Davis said reopening the Thousand Palms emergency shelter remains a priority, but there is currently no firm timeline for when that could happen.
She said the organization will continue seeking grants, donations and community partnerships to make that possible.
“Operation SafeHouse is fully functional, fully operational, and we are continuing to serve the Coachella Valley,” Tankersley-Davis said. “They may not be stationed here or based here, but we will get them. We will pick them up.”
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