FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Giving women a safe place to stay.
“It’s more than a bed, it’s more than meals,” says Poverello House CEO Zack Darrah. “Everything is about the vision and walking alongside women to end their homelessness permanently.”
Located in Downtown Fresno, the newly renovated Naomi’s House off F Street, has 34 beds.
Darrah says the space is not only a shelter, but also a safe space.
“Naomi’s House was first started in the early 2000s in conjunction with the Poverello House, St. Agnes, and Marjaree Mason Center,” Darrah said. “It came together after the partners saw a relationship between women on the streets and the suffering of life-altering trauma.”
The newly renovated transitional housing facility allows women a place to stay for up to 90 days.
It also includes a full-sized kitchen and dining area, private showers and a laundry room.
When Naomi’s House at Holy Cross opened its doors in May, the 34 beds filled up.
Since then, Darrah says they’ve helped move several women into more permanent housing.
“Naomi’s House at Holy Cross exists really for one reason, and that is to end homelessness for women in our community, one woman at a time,” he said.
St. Agnes Medical Center and Poverello House share a decades-long relationship.
They initially worked together to transform the space.
It was a process months in the making to get the facility up and going.
“Everything from permits to actually the construction and getting all that put together,” Darrah said.
Naomi’s House has come a long way.
Ivonne Der Torosian with St. Agnes tells Action News it’s about bridging the gap.
“We want housing, and we want to be able to feel safe and we want to be a partner in that,” she said.
As for the future of Naomi’s house, there are plans to build a community garden and add an on-site medical clinic.
By Ana Torrea on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If you are the victim of domestic abuse, or you know someone who is, there is help available 24/7. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
