The faith-based non-profit was founded in Livermore more than 37 years ago, starting in an old house and expanding into a campus with two residence halls, cottages and a life center.
The Brentwood facility came into being when Signature Homes of Pleasanton custom built a 7,500-square-foot home on four lots and gave it to Shepherd’s Gate in 2006. Shepherd’s Gate helps women who have been homeless or in a abusive relationships as well as women recovering from addiction.
HomeAid, which has partnered with Shepherd’s Gate on three Livermore buildings, appropriately was led by Signature Homes in the 950-square-foot Brentwood expansion that included a learning center for the women, after-school room for older children and two offices for case managers that will free up space elsewhere in the building. The project also included a covered patio complete with ceiling fan.
“We are grateful to HomeAid of Northern California and Signature Homes for making this building expansion possible during a critical time of COVID-19. The Learning & Career Center will help women obtain the skills they need to qualify for living wage jobs in our community. The afterschool room will provide a joyful space for older children to conduct distance learning and other activities,” wrote Shepherd’s Gate CEO Carol Patterson in a press release.
“HomeAid is proud to be a lifetime partner with Shepherd’s Gate,” said HomeAid’s Executive Director Cheryl O’Connor. “We are grateful to Builder Captain Signature Homes for stepping up to build this critically needed project.”
This building expansion was privately funded by the Shirley Ann Foundation, The Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Foundation, and The Jones Family Foundation.
Brentwood Mayor Joel Bryant wrote in an email,” I am so excited about the additional resources that Shepherds Gate is able to provide to those who find refuge there. Shepherds Gate has truly been an angel of mercy to so many who were in desperate circumstances, with little hope for a better future.”
The addition is the first phase of a three-phase expansion of the campus so the same opportunities will be available in Brentwood that are in Livermore. The key partners in this phase were: HomeAid Northern California, Signature Homes, SDG Architects, Inc., the city of Brentwood and Element Structural Engineers, Inc.
The other contributors were: Budget Electric, Janco Industries, Inc., Pacific Coast Landscape, Keystone Door & Building Supply, Blue Mountain, Marble Palace Inc., Hallmark Building & Design, McKee Construction, Cal Mantel & Fireplace, Inc., Sonray Construction, Eagle Roofing Products, Duct Testers Inc., Thorpe Design Inc., Point One Electrical Systems Inc., Coastal Construction & Lumber, K&M Final Phase Cleaning Inc., Residential Design Services, Cen Cal Plastering, Advanced Window Systems LLC., Hutton Lovewell Inc., Gold Star Insulation, Berlogar Stevens & Associates, Monschein Industries, Inc., Value Plumbing, Capital City Drywall, Inc., Infinity Glass & Glazing Inc.
Returning from a week at Lake Tahoe last Saturday, it was obvious that Californians are hitting the road again and there’s plenty of commerce moving goods in 18-wheelers.
Coming down Highway 50 at around 10 a.m., it was striking to see how many cars were headed toward Lake Tahoe. The prior Saturday when I drove up Highway 88 late in the afternoon, there were plenty of cars parked at trailheads along 88 and 89.
Going westbound, it was an easy ride until it came time to choose between Interstate 80 and Interstate 5 for the final stretch. Despite the road being clear toward Davis, I opted for 5—bad call. Difficult slow traffic all the way beyond Elk Grove and it was far worse coming north. Between lots of big rigs and plenty of cars on two lanes, it was crawling for about 15 miles.
We’ve also been seeing heavier weekend traffic here in town on I-680
