New Life Discovery Project responds to Redding Police public safety concerns

New Life Discovery Project has issued a public response to concerns raised by the Redding Police Department, saying its housing and support programs serve local residents and that closer coordination can help strengthen community safety.

The statement, signed by Vice President Brent Eddy, follows an October 29th police post describing repeated law enforcement contacts involving people associated with the program during the previous two months.

The two accounts focus on different parts of the same community concern: police describe incidents and the resources required to respond, while New Life describes the care it provides and its approach to helping people move toward stability.

What Redding Police reported

Redding Police said officers had responded to incidents involving residents, applicants and others associated with New Life Discovery Project, which uses motels in downtown Redding and along North Market Street to house participants.

According to the department, those incidents included overdose investigations, including a fatal overdose, threats against officers, encounters involving resistance and use of force, and arrests involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and drug paraphernalia.

Police also described warrant arrests, enforcement involving parolees and probationers, and contacts involving people from outside Shasta County. Other cases included theft, vandalism, recovered stolen property and a child welfare investigation in which a newborn tested positive for fentanyl and was taken into protective custody.

The department said some responses required multiple officers, supervisors, specialized units, medical personnel and jail staff, reducing the resources available for other public safety needs.

New Life says support and safety go together

In its written response, New Life said it takes the community’s concerns seriously and remains committed to the safety of its neighbors.

The organization said it has spent nearly four years providing housing and support to people experiencing homelessness, unstable housing, addiction, mental health challenges and related crises. Its position is that leaving people without shelter and care makes the wider community less safe.

New Life said the people it serves are residents of Redding and Shasta County, rather than people brought in from other areas. It also stated that it does not house registered sex offenders.

The police account of contacts involving people from outside the county and New Life’s statement about whom it serves describe a point that remains unresolved in the materials available for this story. A law enforcement contact involving someone associated with a program does not, by itself, establish that the person was an enrolled resident or was brought into the area by that program.

Housing, meals and recovery services

According to its statement, New Life houses approximately 297 people each night in Shasta County, serves more than 27,000 meals monthly and has helped 217 people transition into permanent housing so far this year. Those figures are reported by the organization.

New Life said clients receive a structured place to sleep, three daily meals and individualized support. Services include Enhanced Care Management, Housing Transition Navigation Services, an Intensive Outpatient Program, medical and medication assistance, transportation, employment resources and help finding housing.

The organization also described life skills development and wellness and recovery activities through its Day Center. It said its medical team includes registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, medication technicians and care managers, with oversight around the clock.

Security and a request for coordination

New Life said its locations have 24 hour security and a dedicated crisis team to respond to urgent behavioral health and safety concerns. It also said it continues investing in staff training, including accountability and deescalation skills.

The organization said it respects the Redding Police Department’s work and has contacted city staff multiple times in recent months about coordinating services. According to New Life, city staff have toured its facility, while Redding Police have not yet toured. The statement invites the department to visit.

New Life’s response does not offer a case by case rebuttal of the incidents described by police. Instead, it outlines its services, safety practices and willingness to work together.

Both the police concerns and the organization’s response matter to residents trying to understand how public safety and services for vulnerable people are being handled in Redding.

The image accompanying this story contains New Life Discovery Project’s full public statement so readers can review its response directly.

Statement image provided by New Life Discovery Project.