A home in transition: Fundraiser planned to help Redwood CIty's The Centre find a new locale

"I don't know how but we're not giving up," LaMarr said, sitting at a dining table inside The Centre. "Even if I have to call Cirque du Soleil for a tent, we're going to continue."

The walls of The Centre, which opened its doors 18 months ago on Broadway in Redwood City, is a testament to how far LaMarr has come herself and the enormous strides she's made the past 20 years helping others follow the same path. Certificates from Delancey Street, the San Francisco residential program that moved LaMarr from a life of jail and addiction, hang on one wall. Another has hundreds of letters from jail and prison inmate alumni of her programs hanging next to a shelf holding a model schooner crafted from garbage. A bulletin board full of photographs and thank you notes give current residents proof of prior clients' success and a wooden sign sums up one of the center's philosophy: "Enter as strangers -- leave as friends."

But make no mistake, LaMarr is a force to be reckoned with and believes in tough love along with the hugs and encouragement. That persistence and strength -- not to mention an abundance of optimism -- helped LaMarr create the in-custody jail program Choices and against financial odds open The Centre as a place often of last resort. Other services did and do exist but LaMarr realized that all but Delancey Street close up at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. What does somebody do if they are released after that hour with no place to go, no money and no bridges that they hadn't burned?

"What do I do, Miss Shirley? Where do I go?" she remembered them asking. "They need a place to stop and get their head clear for a minute."

LaMarr, who already operated two transitional homes, turned the jail lobby into a de facto receiving center. Then driving down Broadway one day in 2011 she spotted the building which would become The Centre. It was, she said, a "hot mess" but she was hooked and despite it being for sale rather than lease, the owners, the Salvation Army, was swayed to let them rent it.

The Centre -- named after the Canadian spelling just to be a little different, she said -- is a one-stop shop for inmates and even one client who is a recovering alcoholic with no criminal background but a desire to turn his life around. The population of the 6,800-square-foot building averages 27 to 28 staying about six months and all members are required to clean, cook, look for employment or schooling and be busy. They offer catering, landscaping, construction and auto services as ways to bring in money and to be useful. They build handicap ramps and even catered the retirement dinner for outgoing county supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson.

"Everybody has a purpose," she said.

LaMarr does not tolerate smoking outside the building and maintains a dress code. The center sits next to a 7-Eleven and down the street from a bar but LaMarr said that just shows participants have a choice in what they do. The 98 percent clean rate of random drug testing is a testament to that, said David Maloney, procurement and donations director.

The space out back often hosts car washes, flea markets and even the Street Church ministry. And the location, just a straight shot from the jail on Bradford Street, could hardly be more ideal.

Not content to simply talk the talk, LaMarr also calls The Centre home and her family members and animals share space among the cramped rooms and shelves filled with games, puzzles and donations.

She estimates being able to house and rehabilitate a client for $1,000 per month compared to $48,000 a year at the county jail.

But now the Salvation Army wants to sell the building for roughly $1.1 million and The Centre is due out April 1. A benefactor has promised some money to help buy a building but LaMarr and Maloney said they may have to lease again in the interim until something perfect opens up. On Friday, Maloney looked at a promising 13-room church location in San Mateo but said the Crystal Springs neighborhood residents might need to be convinced.

LaMarr is already on it.

"I know what they think. I wouldn't want the stereotype in front of my yard or doing nothing but smoking on the porch either," she said. "It's paramount we be gooder than good and we have to prove who we are."

But with the determination that has got her and the program to where it is today, LaMarr and Maloney said they are ready to invite the public in and show them the lengthy history of success and being a good and responsible neighbor. Delancey Street faced the same hurdles when it began and is now a widely respected and welcome program, she said.

Besides, she said, "200 people in my place is 200 people not out there burglarizing."

LaMarr does have two categories not accepted -- sex offenders and arsonists. But everybody else can expect to find help and support if they're willing to accept it.

Now, though, LaMarr is the one looking for a little help. She and the others are so focused on the daily work they aren't necessarily seeking out the grants and other financial support available, she concedes.

The public and officials may not also really know the program and center needs help simply because LaMarr has always been so good at making everything come together.

On Saturday, March 23, a fundraiser is what is coming together now. The event will be the last hurrah at the current location and include door prizes and a sports memorabilia auction boasting autographed items like a signed Colin Kaepernick jersey, Giants baseballs and a Mike Ricci hockey stick. Memorabilia Man Cave donated several items for auction and former Oakland Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett is passing on goods too, Maloney said. Attendees will also enjoy appetizers catered by The Centre.

For all the challenges of establishing The Centre and now looking for a more permanent home, LaMarr said the results are all worth the effort.

"I wouldn't change one minute of it," she said.

The fundraiser is 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23 at The Centre, 1718 Broadway, Redwood City. For any questions, contact David Maloney at 261-1075. Attendance is free and includes appetizers and beverages. Raffle tickets will be sold for door prizes in addition to the sports memorabilia auction. For more information about the program, The Centre and how to donate visit www.mzshirleys.org.

michelle@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102.