Motel as shelter for homeless |
A young Indian American has converted his parents’ struggling motel in Santa Rosa, Calif., into a 104-room facility to provide housing for chronically homeless people and veterans, the first such center in the nation.Akash Kalia, 24, will be honored by the city of Santa Rosa Apr. 25, at its 35th annual Merit Awards ceremony. Kalia will receive a community service merit award. Kalia said this is a highly vulnerable population. They are taking people directly from the street, and helping them to transition back into society.” The Palms Inn re-opened this February and is already 80 percent full, with residents identified by Catholic Charities and the local Veterans Affairs office. Sixty percent of its residents are military veterans, and 40 percent are chronically homeless.
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