Visit to Hacienda August 2008

CBS Channel 47 visited the Hacienda in Fresno. www.mhsinc.org

For more than two years, a darting, hunting and thriving colony of feral cats, 50 strong with their kittens, had been the main occupants of the former Hacienda Hotel at Clinton Avenue and Highway 99.

Seven weeks ago, life changed for these cats as the first workers from Mental Health Systems Inc. arrived. The workers' goal is to transform the former hotel and retirement home into an 18-acre center that will provide transitional housing and treatment to women leaving prison.

Dealing with the cats was one of the first challenges for Jenny Bates, regional manager for MHS, who is overseeing the project.

"We can't just ignore them," Bates said. "We got this property in the condition it was in. We're not going to turn our back on any part of it."
Workers are now renovating three buildings to house residents in the Fresno First program, which will offer substance abuse treatment and housing to women released from prison. The first residents of Fresno First are expected to move to the Hacienda from elsewhere in Fresno in September.

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• Kittens