Lemon Grove obtains $ 8.4 million from the state to find and house more than 100 people living along a highway, considerably strengthening the awareness of homeless people in a region that has historically had fewer services.
The money from the California camp resolution fund will be directed to a section of approximately two miles from the state 94 of the state along the north edge of the city.
Managers believe that the effort, which includes the connection of homeless residents to support services such as mental health assistance and temporary rental assistance will last two years.
The mayor of Lemon Grove, Alysson Snow, became emotional Monday by talking about those who had slept outside during the storm of the previous night. “The collective heart of our city cannot take these people, leaving our residents – people in families – in the rain,” she said at a press conference near the highway. “It is not a community of Nimbys, it is a community of people who care.”
Snow’s reference to Nimbys, acronym for “Not in My Backyard” which often refers to residents opposed to the new accommodation and the refuge, served as an implicit reprimand for certain people who are in arms about another homeless project in the pipeline: Build 70 small cabins near the intersection of Troy Street and Sweetwater Road.
The proposals of new shelters often receive a decline, but the opposition to the cabins seems particularly strident. NBC7 reported that hundreds of participants at a community meeting last summer were so angry that the supervisor of County Monica Montgomery-Steppe could not even finish a presentation on the project.
Some of these criticisms were present on Monday to demand that the mayor and the rest of the municipal council, which were also present, put pressure on the County of San Diego to scratch the cabins.
Ken King, a 56 -year -old Lemon Grove resident, said after the press conference that he was happy to hear that a grant would extend awareness and hoped that it was sufficient to rethink the shelter. The proximity of the project with the Mount Vernon primary school made it nervous, he said, especially if participants in the program spread with mental health or dependence.
The Lemon Grove Municipal Council has planned a special meeting for Tuesday evening at the Roberto Alvarez auditorium to discuss the shelter plan.
The population of Lemon Grove’s homeless has certainly increased. An annual one -day statement found 111 people sleeping outside or in vehicles at the beginning of 2024, dozens more than the previous year. Although the results of the ad hoc statement in January are still being calculated, the total of this year can increase again, because the county of roaming continues to grow.
There is little shelter in the county of East and none in Lemon Grove.
The state subsidy should be sufficient to bring 102 people to a form of permanent housing. “It’s not about moving people,” Tamera Kohler, CEO of the regional working group on the homeless on Monday, on Monday. “It is a question of putting an end to roaming.”
The working group has teamed up with the city of Lemon Grove to obtain the subsidy, and Kohler said that it hoped that the State would deliver money in the next three months. California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, has already signed awareness teams working on state land.
The city also plans to take off more than $ 257,000 for cleaning and sanitation services, although those responsible have warned that the personal effects of the homeless are not rejected unilaterally, according to the request for grant.
The leaders of Lemon Grove added that the neighboring mesa, which has also experienced an increase in street homelessness, should benefit from additional awareness when some homeless people travel between cities.
The overall effort will be similar to what the city of San Diego has done several months ago while emanating a large river bed camp near Sea World, known as “the island”. However, cities may not be able to count on state subsidies longer. California is faced with a budget deficit and roaming services could soon face discounts.
Monday’s press conference took place behind a food 4 less. Just at the bottom of the sidewalk was a group of baskets and a small tent. Two people sat inside.
“This is not the retirement I dreamed of,” said Craig, 63, who talked about the condition that his family name is not published. Craig said he had spent years working as an electrician, but had struggled to find a job since the pandemic blow. He began to receive social security checks early and estimated that on a monthly allocation of around $ 1,000, he could devote $ 750 to rent. But there were not many $ 750 on the market.
Rental aid was definitely interesting, he said. Unless that, a place to store things would be good. Craig said that more than once, he had returned to a camp to find that everything he owned had been stolen or ransacked.
“No one is satisfied with the situation,” he added. “I am not happier to be here than food 4 less is or Home Depot or one of the neighbors.”
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