Families struggling with homelessness will soon have a new place to go in Atascadero as the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) broke ground on the Balay Ko Family Resource Center on Oct. 9.
The need for a family-oriented center grew over the last couple of years, according to Wendy Lewis, ECHO’s president and CEO. Between the nonprofit’s Paso Robles and Atascadero locations there’s a total of 130 beds, and ECHO has about 40 children staying with them every night, she said.
“Unfortunately, the face of homelessness has shifted over these past few years,” Lewis said. “We know that there are more families to help if we had more beds.”
During the 2023-24 school year, about 3,860 out of San Luis Obispo County’s 33,958 students were considered to be homeless, according to California Department of Education data. The aim is to provide relief for more than 300 individuals and families on its waitlist, according to ECHO.
Slated for completion next October, the two-story, 7,200-square-foot building will hold an additional 30 beds in the form of private rooms, as well as living spaces, a workforce development classroom, private counseling offices, and a children’s learning and activity room.
Lewis said she can’t wait for the first night when the kids will be running up and down the halls giggling and will be able to stay with their parents in this center.
The Balay Ko Foundation donated a large sum of money toward the project’s construction, and ECHO has set up a three-year, $6 million fundraising campaign—Building Hope and Home—to help operate the resource center.
More than 50 percent of the campaign goal has already been raised, according to Lewis.
The Atascadero location is already providing services, safety, and shelter, Lewis said, but the new wing will allow families to rehabilitate in their own private space.
Rooms will have a varied number of beds to accommodate families of all sizes, and ECHO volunteers will have the ability to flex spaces to fit the needs of each family, Lewis said. In addition, families will have the opportunity to use bathtubs for their children in the new building.
Kelly Hadley, a current ECHO case manager and former 90-day shelter program participant, is looking forward to families having their own space. She finished her 90-day program in 2023 and began working for ECHO in April.
“ECHO has been part of every step of my rebuilding,” Hadley said.
Following her father’s passing, Hadley moved from the Central Valley to the Central Coast to live with family members for about six months before she realized that she needed to move out. She quickly learned how hard it was going to be to pay rent while in a toxic living situation.
She finally made the decision to live out of her car and soon found the shelter and services she needed at ECHO.
ECHO has helped 341 individuals and families like Hadley secure stable housing so far this year, according to the nonprofit’s website.
“It makes you a better case manager when you’ve been through it, because I literally get to share my story all the time with my clients,” Hadley said. “And I think it’s helped break down any trust barriers.” ∆
This article appears in Oct 16-26, 2025.