Bridge To Home Shelter moved to a  larger location Saturday in efforts to make social distancing easier among their clients, with no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the homeless community as of Tuesday, officials said.

“Public health guidelines recommend six feet of social distancing between people. Santa Clarita is offering our Newhall Community Center facility so these guidelines can be followed to help protect the health of everyone,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth. “By taking proactive measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, we are lessening the strain on our crucial medical resources.”

As health experts have advised that social distancing is the best way to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Santa Clarita City Council agreed to allow the operation to temporarily relocate to the much larger Newhall Community Center due to limited space at Bridge to Home’s Drayton Street location. 

Camelot Moving and Storage donated their time and resources to help with the move, providing two trucks and a crew for a full day of work.

“I’m not sure if they were expecting to pay, but we weren’t going to let them,” said Billy Kornfeld, owner of Camelot. “We’re very grateful to people in the community who are on the front lines. So if we’re able to help them help others, we jump on that opportunity.” 

Camelot is taking special precautionary measures while moving clients during this unprecedented pandemic. 

“We don’t know the situation we’re walking into each day,” Kornfeld said. “The guys on the job had gloves and masks and each crew member carried hand sanitizer in their pockets. We have a procedure each morning where we sanitize the cabs of the trucks.”  

Bridge to Home is Santa Clarita’s primary homeless services provider, previously operating a 60-bed shelter on Drayton Street, according to City officials.

As communities work to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, the homeless population has been identified as an at-risk population. Additionally, about one-third of Bridge to Home’s clients are over the age of 55, making them high-risk, according to City officials.

Bridge to Home will be operating out of their new facility on a temporary basis during this ongoing public health crisis. Kornfeld said that when they’re ready to move back, Camelot will be ready to help.

“It has kind of been our view that there are people that can help and individuals that need help,” Kornfeld said. “Being a company that can help, we simply should assist the ones that need it.”  

Bridge to Home is facing increased costs due to this move and the future move back to the Drayton Street facility. They are also in need of supplies during this critical time. Shelter needs are regularly posted on the Bridge to Home Facebook page. Residents can also donate here.

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