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Residents press Taft council for navigation center, shelter access and accurate homeless counts
Summary
During the housing element hearing, multiple residents, faith leaders and service providers urged the council to address shelter access, undercounted unhoused populations and coordination of services; speakers recommended rezoning, a navigation center and pursuit of state funding.
A string of public comments during the Aug. 19 city council hearing focused on homelessness, service gaps and the need for local facilities even as the council adopted the housing element.
Residents, faith leaders and volunteers recounted the difficulty of accessing shelter and services in West Kern. Several commenters said the nearest shelter is in Bakersfield, more than 30 miles away, and described obstacles including transportation barriers, curtailed hours at some providers and a likely undercount in the point-in-time (PIT) report. ‘‘The PIT report…
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