LAGUNA BEACH : City to Pay Off Youth Shelter’s Mortgage

The City Council has agreed to spend $51,000 to pay off the mortgage of a financially strapped youth shelter that has become a refuge for the county’s troubled teens.

“I certainly think there is nothing finer we do as a city than to provide some help for homeless young people,” Councilwoman Lida Lenney said, joining her colleagues in the unanimous vote Tuesday.

The Community Service Programs Youth Shelter, which opened on a quiet Laguna Beach street six years ago, offers temporary housing to about 300 youngsters each year. It is the only shelter of its kind in South County.

However, as a result of what director Judy Friesen called “a very difficult financial year,” the center recently cut back its programs and staff.

With other possible budget cuts looming, a group of shelter workers turned out at City Hall Tuesday to ask the council for help. “There is never a penny wasted,” one said.

The council’s decision to pay off the mortgage means the center will have an additional $600 each month for operating expenses, Friesen said.

The shelter receives funding from five South County cities, the county and private donors. Children from all income levels are accepted, with their families charged on a sliding scale according to their ability to pay. Children from low-income families can stay for $1 a week.

Many of the youths who stay at the shelter are runaways, according to a report presented to the council. About 25% of them have been abused. The majority of the residents are girls. About 85% of the youngsters return to their families after their stay at the shelter, the report says.