Homeless in Mission Viejo

Discussion of an emergency homeless shelter by the Planning Commission on June 8 served as a reminder of how the state government operates. The California State Legislature decreed in 2007 that cities must provide shelter for their homeless residents during emergencies. When the discussion arose earlier this year at a city meeting on housing, “emergency” was defined as a catastrophic situation, such as an earthquake or a wildfire.

What if some cities don’t have homeless people who stay within their city limits? Mission Viejo residents might want to know the locations of their city’s homeless. Has anyone seen a homeless person living in a park, open space or elsewhere in the city? A blog contributor sent a response:

 “I’ve seen two people passing through who seem to be homeless, but I’m unaware of any homeless person living here. The homeless people I know of (a man and a woman) have mental issues, and they’ve already rejected the idea of going to shelters. The woman told me about her distrust for government and the system. She’s living on the street because that’s where she wants to live.”

Other issues come to mind as Mission Viejo addresses building a homeless shelter.

1)If a homeless person’s locale becomes uninhabitable because of a wildfire, an earthquake or other disaster, would the shelter not be similarly affected by the disaster?

2)Given the city’s record of mismanaged projects and wastefulness, wouldn’t it be quicker and cheaper to check a homeless person into a luxury hotel instead of building, furnishing and staffing a homeless shelter?

The state’s shelter specifications include provisions of onsite management and details of onsite waiting and intake areas. An alert sales manager of a luxury hotel would be wise to send a proposal to all South County cities for emergency shelter for the homeless.