Foreclosure On Shelter For Homeless Postponed

Posted in Foreclosure, January 11th, 2008 |

Foreclosure proceedings against Human Outreach have not been dropped – it has only been kept pending. Small mercy is better than none! It was being foreclosed by the Federal Government.
Human Outreach on Flagg Street, Alameda County is the only one of its kind for men. On October 2007 a notice was served on it by the Internal Revenue Service because of tax dues. The directors of the shelter felt helpless without the help of those who funded it. It seemed that the shelter would not survive through another year.

An article published in The Daily Review highlighting its financial troubles and its wobbly relationship with Hayward City and Alameda County Social Service Agency, the two main organizations that backed the funding of the shelter. The Internal Revenue System shied away from publicity and opted for suspending foreclosure.

Human Outreach has been in existence for about 30 years. It is still not out of the woods as the foreclosure proceeding have not been withdrawn but merely postponed. However the good that comes from it is that the agency gets some time to breathe and work out a strategy. Attilio Giovanatto the counselor for Human Outreach feels that it has come like a Christmas blessing for the shelter. Giovanatto expects to know by the following week how much time is at hand before IRS once again presses for foreclosure. Till then the shelter will try its level best to continue operations as before. There are still 20 inmates in the shelter – people who are totally dependent on it. Of late they are considering taking in homeless veterans who are in dire need for the services of Human Outreach.

Its worries started when Israel Chideya, a former director left in 2002 without paying taxes to IRS. The latter failed to track him down. Not being able to pool together funds the social service agency has had no other option but provide services only to those who can pay for it.
Sometimes a blessing can become a curse says Cherise Abel the Executive Director of Human Outreach. Given the circumstances they are now on with an operation to rope in private donors. Even after losing two of its main patrons the agency is pushing ahead and finding other ways to keep the motor running so that the shelter becomes independent. Abel is full of hope although right now the coffers are empty.