The downtown day center for homeless people on lower Chapala Street known as the FARO Center is throwing itself a birthday party this Wednesday. It’s turning two years old.
Given the center’s bumpy start, surviving two years qualifies as an accomplishment. But the real accomplishment, according to S.B. ACT Executive Director Rich Sander, is the 1,700 people that the FARO Center (faro means “lighthouse” in Spanish) has helped in that time, including the 200 whom center staff and volunteers helped steer off the streets and into long- or short-term housing. Even those who never wound up with a roof over their heads got connected to mental-health and addiction services, peer support, general life counseling, and job skill training.
“These people found hope, support, community, and a path toward something better,” said Sander.
When the FARO Center opened, every mover and shaker in town was on hand to cheer it on. It had been a long time coming, and City Hall put the money down to rent the building on the 600 block of Chapala. The Planning Commission approved the plans, and S.B. ACT — the nonprofit which for years had run meals-and-services relationship-building programs in city parks — took over management responsibilities.
But twice as many people showed up than were initially projected. Relations with some neighboring businesses experienced serious strain. The next-door neighbor threatened to sue. City administrators threatened to find another operator. But no one, they discovered, was interested.
After more than a few very long and mutually pointed meetings, lessons got learned and changes got made. No longer does FARO operate on a drop-in basis. It’s become by appointment only. The numbers of daily clients dropped by about half. Security precautions improved. Complaints got responded to. And there were much fewer.
With the social safety net under such serious threat due to federal and state budget cuts, Sander sees the demand for the FARO’s services only growing more urgent.
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