In 2017, DAHLIN joined the Bay Area Rescue Mission (BARM) to initiate the planning and design of a new facility to be used for long-term shelter housing for the growing numbers of homeless women and children. After several different design studies and meetings with Richmond City officials and Richmond neighborhood agencies and councils, the vision and nurturing environment of the Bridge of Hope Center was achieved by the collaboration of all stakeholders.
The site’s existing single-story family home, owned by BARM and built circa 1910, will be demolished and replaced with a new two-story shelter and merged with the adjacent parcel. The proposed building will contain 26 bedrooms providing 114 new emergency and long-term beds, and approximately 4,000 square feet of open space. Proposed amenities and services include a common community space, laundromat, reception area, management office and an outdoor play area with play equipment and seating. A garden path of raised planters along the perimeter of the property connects to a small central courtyard to which the U-shaped building shares. Life-changing support services at the Bridge of Hope Center will include nourishing meals, health services referrals, education and well-being programs for children, discipleship programs, counseling, and job- and life-skills training.
