24-hour homeless shelter to open in Ventura

After a year of negotiations, Ventura approved its first 24-hour homeless shelter. The moved comes on the heels of public pressure to address homelessness following the deadly stabbing of Anthony Mele last year on the Ventura Pier by a homeless man that he had never met before.

The city and county will fund the 55-bed facility and it will serve as the first year-round government-funded shelter in the county. The goal is to provide an array of services to address homeless issues and prevent people from returning to the streets when they leave.

The shelter is set to open by the end of the year.