Homeless to get year-round site

Laguna’s homeless will have a roof over their heads year-round, set to open by the time the ACT V alternate sleeping location has to be vacated in mid-June for summer tourist parking.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to relocate the homeless shelter from ACT V to property at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road, between the Bark Park and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. The parcel, recently acquired by the city from Verizon, will accommodate a larger facility, with more services and better transportation. It will cost less to operate, due to the participation of the Laguna Relief and Resource Center Coalition.

“We knew that ACT V was not a permanent solution, and we’ve been working on this since we bought the property,” said Councilman Kelly Boyd. “What’s nice is that after all this time, the Resource Center and Friendship Shelter, with the assistance of Mercy House, and the city have reached a solution that made everybody — with just a couple of exceptions — happy.”

The new facility will comfortably handle about 45 people. They must have ties to Laguna — family connections, schooling or habitation. Those who have social security or other benefits might be asked to make pay a little to help defray the costs of the site, but some residents expressed concern about that notion.

Boyd and Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman have been working for more than two years with the representatives of charitable organizations and the business community to resolve the plight of Laguna’s homeless in a manner palatable to most residents and store owners, who were angered by inappropriate behavior and criminal activity at Heisler Park, on city beaches and the streets.

“I am enormously cheered,” said the Rev. Colin Henderson, founder of Friendship Shelter and a member of the Task Force on Homelessness. “We owe the city, which responded to this need.

“The city has been the catalyst for bringing the community together on this serious issue. The community has risen to the occasion and focused on what the city has done.”

Formerly homeless, Regan Hess expressed his appreciation for the help he received from homeless activist Don Black and all the volunteers to turn his life around.

The proposed 3,600-square-foot facility, which is away from residential development, will have about 1,800 square feet of open space, which should be more than enough to handle future needs; three restrooms with showers; and a small kitchen. It will have a larger storage area than the existing 2,900-square-foot site at ACT V, an office for case management services, and a room for computers to help people access benefits and search for jobs.

A provision in the lease of the relocated modular unit sets a fixed price for purchase, but the city must guarantee 24 months’ rent.

Mid-June is the target date for the larger facility to be set up on the site after assembly at the leasing company’s yard.

The city will have to resort to state laws that allow governmental agencies to establish emergency shelters to alleviate a local crisis in order to make the proposed deadline.

A crisis was declared in October to pave the way for ACT V and is still in effect. The relocation will get underway while the city applies for the required permits.

Site constraints include setbacks, fuel modification requirements, flood plain issues, installation of a sprinkler system and a possible need for variances, which must be attended to if the permanent facility is to be on the site.

Coalition move reduces city costs

Resource Coalition representatives are interested in moving from their 2,300-square-foot rented facility into the new site, which would be used during the day to assist the homeless and will pay up to $65,000 to make the change.

This proposal has several benefits for the city, officials said.

The ACT V site costs the city about $23,000 a month to operate, not including Project Homecoming Funds. The new site will cost about $20,000 a month to operate, $2,000 a month of which will be offset by the lease revenue and utility payments by the coalition, reducing the city’s monthly outlay to $18,000, roughly the cost of continuous police presence on beaches and in parks.

Net operating costs for a full year of the program will be about $220,000, which is included in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

All told the coalition’s contributions will reduce the city’s monthly cost by about $400 a month.

An existing 1,200-square-foot-metal building on the site will be leased for five years by the coalition to relocate its food and clothing distribution service for low-income families, along with some offices for staff and volunteers. The coalition will pay $1,000-a-month rent, as well as related utility costs and for the modifications to the building except for are fire sprinkler system. The additional $370 in rent means the city won’t be paying anything for the additional services and it will eliminate its $500-a-month contribution for the uses at the current coalition facility.

“Their financial contribution is unprecedented,” said Assistant City Manager John Pietig, the staff point man for the project.

“And the project is not only good for the homeless, it’s good for the residents who will be able to use the city beaches and parks the way they were intended.”

Other benefits:

 Longer hours of operation during the day, not yet determined, will allow more use of the facility by the homeless and is hoped to discourage the morning meals provided without city sanction at Heisler Park in favor of the alternative site.

 The Friendship Shelter will be able to allow the homeless to use the showers and laundry facilities at night.

 The homeless will be able to launder their own blankets, eliminating a payment of $500 per month to the Friendship Shelter for the service

The coalition will also handle transportation. Using public transportation would have cost the city $30,000 year. A single allocation of up $45,000 will buy a 15-person van — insurance, fuel and drivers provided by the coalition. The van cost is included in the estimated $153,000 to relocate the alternate sleeping site.

Agreement to ameliorate coalition risks

The sleeping shelter program is new and relatively unique, officials said. If the program were to close for some reason, the coalition would have to assume the lease or lose the value of its contributions and be out of a place to operate.

A proposed agreement between the city and the coalition will include a provision for the city to reimburse the organization for a portion of the cost of the modifications if the site closes within four years. The amount of reimbursement would be based on the remaining value of the modifications assuming a useful life of four years.

The relocation will cost about $153,000 to set up the new site, without impacting the city’s required 10% general fund reserve.