LEMON GROVE, Calif. — County leaders are looking at Lemon Grove as a possible site for dozens of sleeping cabins to house unsheltered people.
The proposal for 60 sleeping cabins for the unsheltered in Lemon Grove comes after a similar proposal was shot down recently in Spring Valley, where residents had concerns over its proximity to schools, homes and parks.
Local homeless advocates in Lemon Grove are hopeful that this new proposal will soon get the green light.
"We have to say, 'Yes in my backyard,"' said Lemon Grove resident and homeless advocate Teresa Rosiak, who is co-founder of the Lemon Grove Improvement Council.
She said that using the site along Troy Street and Sweetwater Road would be a critical step in helping her city's population of nearly 300 unsheltered people.
"Too many other people have said no," she added. "Too many other communities have said no, and we have to stop this."
Case in point: the community of Spring Valley, where residents voiced safety concerns when a proposal for 150 cabins was being considered last month.
"We want to help the homeless but this is not the right way of doing it," said one resident. "This is putting a Band-Aid on the problem."
"You're going to always have some objections, always!" Rosiak told CBS 8. "It is a stepping stone, one baby step at a time."
Homeless advocate Amelia Broadnax, who works directly with unsheltered people as executive director of GLM House, said the 60 cabins would provide much-needed help.
"To know that, one, I'm safe, I'm not getting run over by anyone, and when I wake up my stuff is still going to be here, and there's possibly going to be some resources here to help me elevate to the next level," Broadnax said.
"We are in a crisis," said County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.
She notes that $18.5 million in funding available for the now-rescinded Spring Valley project would have to be reallocated for this one if it is ultimately approved.
"If this project goes through, we are committed to having behavioral health assessments, we are committed to having 24-hour security," she told CBS 8.
She said she is also committed to working with the community to address any concerns they have.
"I believe in doing that one-on-one with community members and having real conversations, not being judgmental about the way they feel but figuring out a way where we can move forward together," she added.
A public hearing on this proposal is set for Thursday, July 18 beginning at 6 pm at the Lemon Grove Community Center.
For those interested in volunteering the Lemon Grove Homeless Outreach Team meets every Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the corner of Lemon Grove and Broadway..
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