The ongoing search of a second emergency temporary homeless shelter may finally be seeing some light. Last week, the Interagency on Homelessness and Poverty Prevention (OHAPP) held their latest meeting.

The pressure to locate a second homeless shelter has been building as the waitlist for Global Dorm continues to grow. OHAPP Executive Director, Sarah Thomas Nededog, said, "It's truly a crisis to have so many people and we know we're not seeing everybody."

During last week's OHAPP meeting, Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority's Amor Say revealed that a Tamuning facility has been identified as a potential shelter. "We're hoping that we should be able to start the operation towards the end of the month if everything pushes through in our direction if not it would be next month," she explained.

GHURA will be funding Catholic Social Services $1.6 million for the 40-room shelter, and a walk through of the facility will be conducted this week. Say says that priority will be placed on those that are chronically homeless, most especially those that have been identified as staying in derelict buildings and the abandoned garage identified in Tumon.

Say added, "The place will be also like Global we will be providing meals and all the support services and Manelu will be providing the case management part of it."

Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio explained that the second emergency shelter is coming at a good time, and that assisting homeless families is another priority. He said, "We have a large number of families that are way past what we would normally define as emergency shelter period of time right that means that there still is a considerable amount of work in case work and placement."

Currently, 159 individuals are housed at the Maite Global Dorms shelter, 91 of which are minors, and the contract for the second shelter still has yet to be signed.

There is still an open procurement at GSA for a permanent shelter. Any property owners of apartment complexes or similar facilities interested in registering can contact the general services administration.