“What I worry about is the kind of people who come into the shelter, if Jim will be vulnerable,” Eldridge said outside the Hope Center while a staff member interviewed Farrell inside. “This is not the safe, comfortable environment people of his age should be in.”

The shelter, operated by Community Action Napa Valley, imposes few requirements other than that guests stay sober and leave from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But Linda S. Powers, who directs CANV’s housing and shelter services, admitted a 97-year-old was not the kind of homeless person envisioned for the program – and readily agreed he could stay two weeks, nearly bridging the gap to his scheduled admission at the Piner’s home.

“My question was if can he go out during the day like everyone is expected to, and the answer was yes,” said Powers, who is also a pastor for Napa’s First Presbyterian Church. “We will watch it day by day; we will play that by ear. If I have staff where he can be inside for part of a day based on his age, we will keep eye on him. … We’re not talking about 180 days, we’re talking about a couple of weeks, so of course we can do this.”