By Linda Taaffe

Local day laborers pushed into the streets when St. Joseph the Worker Center shut down in Los Altos last year plan to set up an interim worker center by May 1 at the Calvary Assembly of God church at California and Escuela avenues in Mountain View.

The Mountain View City Council gave workers the go- ahead to set up a temporary center in the site’s multipurpose room March 26 until the city can secure a permanent center elsewhere, said John Rinaldi, a Mountain View resident and volunteer attorney with the day workers, who helped negotiate the deal.

Day workers have been searching for a new center location since St. Joseph the Worker Center shut down last October due to over crowding.

Rinaldi said the workers are pleased with the location of the interim center since many live in that vicinity.

“The key is to advertise the new location (to potential employers),” Rinaldi said.

The city’s approval means the center may qualify for grant money from various agencies to upgrade the power and water lines at the site. The center needs to raise about $7,000 for building upgrades and $170,000 for annual operating costs, he added.

The church site is too small to provide the adequate space needed for a permanent work center but will enable laborers to get off the street to meet potential employers until the city of Mountain View establishes a permanent center, Rinaldi said. Securing a new center site could take as long as a year. The church site is slightly smaller than the former St. Joseph the Worker Center, which was about 1,400 square feet, Rinaldi said.

The center will provide job training and counseling and match potential employers with workers. More importantly, the center will allow workers to get off the street, Rinaldi said. St. Vincent de Paul, which operated the former center, will also operate the new center.

The center is located in the multipurpose room of Calvary Assembly of God church at 1880 California Ave., Mountain View. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, beginning May 1. Donations designated for “the new worker center” may be sent to St. Vincent de Paul at 2040 South Seventh St., San Jose 95112.