Benicia considers awarding city property to controversial nonprofit SafeQuest Solano

BENICIA – The Benicia City Council will consider at its meeting Tuesday whether to sell or lease two city-owned buildings to be used as shelters by SafeQuest Solano, a nonprofit that provides domestic violence support services. 

A proposed resolution on Tuesday’s Benicia City Council agenda does not say how much the city would charge SafeQuest to purchase or lease the property, which totals about 3,100 square feet across both buildings. Another nonprofit, House of Hope, which focuses mainly on rehabilitation facilities, would help operate the shelter, according to the resolution.

SafeQuest has faced eroding support and calls for an investigation into its practices after a Vallejo Sun investigation published in June reported that former employees said that its existing shelters were sparsely used and SafeQuest allowed an attorney for the organization to live at a shelter rented from the city of Fairfield for $1 per year. 

Benicia City Manager Mario Giuliani and community development director Suzanne Thorsen did not respond to a request for comment. SafeQuest Executive Director Mary Anne Branch did not respond to written questions.

The contract with Benicia would come as the city of Fairfield considers cutting ties with SafeQuest. Following the publication of the Sun article, Fairfield issued a request for proposals to find a new operator for its shelter.

However, only SafeQuest submitted a proposal, according to Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy. SafeQuest has sought a long-term extension of their lease since last year, but amid questions about how the property was being used, has remained on a month-to-month lease.

Moy said that she has no plans to bring a new lease for a vote by the City Council and that Fairfield City Manager David Gassaway “continues to be uncomfortable with extending the contract.”

According to Moy, Branch met with Fairfield city officials to dispute the Sun’s reporting on its shelters. SafeQuest has declined to answer any questions from the Sun and has not sought any corrections to the articles.

Another woman who stayed at the shelter in August told the Sun last week that when she stayed there, the shelter was empty and she was asked to leave early. She provided text messages that corroborate that she stayed at the shelter and was asked to leave early.

Crystal Hollander said that the first night that she stayed with SafeQuest Solano, rather than bring her to a shelter, the organization paid for her to stay in a motel. She said when she attempted to check in, the organization’s credit card was initially declined.

The next night, she was given the address to the organization’s Fairfield shelter. Hollander said that she had only intended to stay in the shelter for one night before she left for another shelter. However, she said that she realized that the other shelter would not have openings for a month so she asked to continue staying at SafeQuest’s shelter, and SafeQuest agreed.

Hollander said that there were three rooms at the Fairfield shelter and she stayed in a room with three additional beds. But she said she did not see anyone else there the night she stayed there.

At 8 a.m. the next day, a SafeQuest employee woke her up and told her to leave, according to Hollander. Hollander said the employee told her that she had to “give the room to someone who was actually being abused.” Court records show that Hollander had obtained a domestic violence restraining order. 

The SafeQuest employee again questioned whether Hollander was an abuse victim in a text message the following day that Hollander provided to the Sun. The employee said she was making sure that Hollander was a “good fit” for the program.

“First of all you were not in an intimate danger relationship and have stated yourself that you were homeless on Saturday morning,” the employee wrote to Hollander.

Studies show domestic violence is a major reason many women become homeless. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, between 22% and 57% of homeless women say that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness, and 38% of domestic violence victims lose their homes at some point in their lives. 

The same organization says that victims of domestic violence often leave an abuser multiple times and experience multiple periods of homelessness.

“When you are a domestic violence victim, you’re homeless. You’re making that choice between staying with an abuser and being homeless,” Hollander said. “I don’t mind that SafeQuest is open, but I do mind that people who are doing that aren’t doing the right thing for the victims."