Homeless-service clients had to show a specialized ID card to access a fenced-off stretch of Rio Grande Street on Friday, the official debut of what officials have termed a “safe space” between the shelter and day center.
The 1,100-bed homeless shelter at 210 S. Rio Grande St. can still be accessed without an ID, as can the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall to the east. The Weigand Homeless Resource Center can only be accessed through the secured street area.
The ID cards and the streetscape are tied to a two-year effort to reduce crime in the area that launched in mid-August, dubbed Operation Rio Grande and expected to cost $67 million.