Mission
The primary mission of MOCAG for the "Tier-1 shelter for the Homeless" project, is to advocate to area leaders and constituents of the immediate need to supply tier-1 non-congregate shelter for the area's homeless.
Tier-1 units are described as:
- from 100-200 sq ft [roughly]
- cost from 5,000-10,000 [roughly]
- are portable [easy up/down]
- can have electrical hookups
- usually won't have water or sewer [use shared facilities]
- are certified for human occupancy
- meet all building codes for this class of unit
- occupancy max time from 6-12 months depending upon up-tier housing availability.
Note these are often referred to as: Tiny homes, small homes, micro homes, Pallets, etc. It is best to stay away from those labels at this point and stick to tier-1.
Our strategy is to organize our members into a voting bloc that wields its power to elect local candidates that prioritize building affordable or public housing.
Our plan also entails informing the public on how these policies benefit all local residents, formulating a blueprint for affordable housing and actively advocating for the implementation of that blueprint at the city and county level.
Finding Solutions to Homelessness
Aerial view of the Berberian shelter complex
Homelessness in Stanislaus County stems from many known causes. Lack of affordable housing is at the root of the problem, but physical disability, substance abuse, mental health problems, family physical and sexual abuse, foster care teens timing out, PTSD, having a felony, rising rents, among other factors constantly pump more citizens out onto our streets.
Despite the progress in our community's policies, we still have over a thousand unhoused, and at least 441 unsheltered on our streets.
Our first focus is to create a local "voting constituency" dedicated to putting advocacy pressure on Stanislaus County and Modesto City to allow "Safe Parking" and "Safe Camping" sites.