Don't let homeless plan go cold

By: North County Times Opinion Staff | Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:16 PM PDT ∞

Our view: North County cities close to providing cost-effective winter shelter

With the sun beating down upon these final days of summer, the frigid nights of winter can be difficult to imagine. But an admirable group of government and nonprofit leaders has been doing just that for months now, planning to provide emergency winter shelter to the homeless in North County. We need our local leaders to step forward ---- now ---- to make sure that this sensible, modest and vital proposal comes to fruition before the temperatures fall.

Last December, the Escondido City Council refused to allow the Salvation Army to open an emergency homeless shelter. At the time, the council majority argued that homelessness was a regional problem that needed a regional solution. Since then, Escondido has led North County cities and a coalition of nonprofits in developing a plan that would add 199 emergency beds for 100 days this winter.

But the momentum behind this inspiring cooperative effort is in danger of slipping away. A key meeting scheduled for Aug. 28 was canceled . Among other concerns, city representatives have expressed worries about the program's costs.

As proposed, cities would be asked to contribute on a sliding scale ---- $15,000 for small cities, $30,000 for midsized cities and $40,000 for larger ones. That's a drop in the bucket for our local city budgets. It's also cost-effective: Preventing a cold-weather health emergency is always cheaper than treating one.

If our cities can't collectively, proactively address this problem now, it would be a failure on two counts. First, North County has a homeless problem that knows no boundaries. While many homeless people get help in year-round shelter programs, as many as 800 live on the streets. That's a humanitarian problem anytime, but during cold winter months like last year's, it can become a humanitarian crisis.

Second, this effort has the potential to be a model for addressing other North County issues not already overseen by the county or organizations like the San Diego Association of Governments. If we can't make this modest homeless plan work, what are the odds that future cooperative efforts on more challenging, more expensive issues will bear fruit?

Don't get us wrong. We're highly skeptical of grand government schemes to solve problems that have deeper social causes. But this plan seems to avoid the excesses that characterize similar efforts to "save the world."

The shelters will be managed by existing nonprofits, which will mean not hiring new public employees or expanding local government. More importantly, the solution is neatly tailored to a specific problem: increasing the number of beds available in North County to the homeless during the winter months. When winter ends, those extra beds go, too.

Best of all, it's the right thing to do.

Escondido's City Council has led the charge on this issue and we trust it won't turn back now. Oceanside's council was the first to publicly back the plan but has not yet made a financial commitment. San Marcos' council has indicated it already has the money to pay its share. The councils in Carlsbad and Poway say they like the plan but want to see more details. No city council has expressed major objections or a refusal to participate. A broad consensus to make this happen exists.

So what's the holdup? Attempts to make the emergency shelter plan more cost-effective are under way, and a meeting to discuss the updated proposal has already been scheduled for next month. Those are positive signs. Now we need North County's elected leaders to find a way to make this worthwhile and needed proposal work. Otherwise, we're courting another winter of discontent ---- and much worse.

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Taking Homeless hurts Escondido wrote on Aug 31, 2007 7:39 AM:Escondido pays more than its share for the homeless and has more than its share of homeless housing. This brings all of the problems associated with the homeless to Escondido and lowers the quality of life for the citizens of Escondido. There is no benefit to Escondido to bring the homeless here. Unless the other cities are willing to both pay for, and take in the homeless than Escondido needs to take a very hard-line in not taking any homeless. This is a fairness question. Escondido needs to stop being dumped on by these other communities.

A threat? wrote on Aug 31, 2007 7:41 AM:The article says: Otherwise, we're courting another winter of discontent ---- and much worse." This this some sort of threat? What does the writer mean by "much worse."

It would be good wrote on Aug 31, 2007 9:23 AM:if coastal cities set up tent cities on the beaches during cold spells. After all the beaches are not used by the rest of us then, except by polar bear clubs, and they have already have restrooms. And, fishing tackle could be provided so they can help provide food for themselves. To share the burden, inland cities should provide the tents and transportation to the beaches and the coastal cities should provide the sand and fishing gear. The homeless should erect the tents, cook the fish and clean the restrooms.

Get a clue, please... wrote on Aug 31, 2007 10:45 AM:You North County Times editorial folks just dont get, do you? Do you know what the real dialoge is about right now? Obviously not. No matter how we in our community say it, no matter that we have experts in this field showing you the evidence that more beds is not the answer, you keep the mantra. More beds. More beds... You dont talk about solving the real problem, just about more beds. Put the pressure on the politicians with your ink...that will get more beds. Its all about those few cold months, more beds. How many beds is enough...200 more, 400 more, 800 more? Then if there were 1600 homeless, would 1600 beds be enough? You are stuck in the symptom relief game instead of the solutions game. This is a solvable problem. And we arent going to solve it with more beds. Do you even care about a real solution? Or is it just about more beds? Is it just about the cities all kicking in to get more beds? Why dont you start asking the real tough quesitons? The right questions. You are doing us all a disservice by using your mighty pen in a way that inflames and provokes rather than reveals and empowers.

Get a clue, please... wrote on Aug 31, 2007 1:37 PM:You North County Times editorial folks just dont get, do you? Do you know what the real dialoge is about right now? Obviously not. No matter how we in our community say it, no matter that we have experts in this field showing you the evidence that more beds is not the answer, you keep the mantra. More beds. More beds... You dont talk about solving the real problem, just about more beds. Put the pressure on the politicians with your ink...that will get more beds. Its all about those few cold months, more beds. How many beds is enough...200 more, 400 more, 800 more? Then if there were 1600 homeless, would 1600 beds be enough? You are stuck in the symptom relief game instead of the solutions game. This is a solvable problem. And we arent going to solve it with more beds. Do you even care about a real solution? Or is it just about more beds? Is it just about the cities all kicking in to get more beds? Why dont you start asking the real tough quesitons? The right questions. You are doing us all a disservice by using your mighty pen in a way that inflames and provokes rather than reveals and empowers.

Get a clue, please... wrote on Aug 31, 2007 8:05 PM:You North County Times editorial folks just dont get, do you? Do you know what the real dialoge is about right now? Obviously not. No matter how we in our community say it, no matter that we have experts in this field showing you the evidence that more beds is not the answer, you keep the mantra. More beds. More beds... You dont talk about solving the real problem, just about more beds. Put the pressure on the politicians with your ink...that will get more beds. Its all about those few cold months, more beds. How many beds is enough...200 more, 400 more, 800 more? Then if there were 1600 homeless, would 1600 beds be enough? You are stuck in the symptom relief game instead of the solutions game. This is a solvable problem. And we arent going to solve it with more beds. Do you even care about a real solution? Or is it just about more beds? Is it just about the cities all kicking in to get more beds? Why dont you start asking the real tough quesitons? The right questions. You are doing us all a disservice by using your mighty pen in a way that inflames and provokes rather than reveals and empowers.

Good Catholic wrote on Sep 1, 2007 7:50 PM:The church takes in Trillions of dollars in money donations and owns land buildings and investents. It pays out billions to settle court cases in child molestation court cases. How about the church helping the homeless-and I don't mean just handing out food they got for free that was donated food in the first place by the public . How about some church money for shelters and beds on church property-?

Reardon wrote on Sep 1, 2007 8:41 PM:Actually, I have researched it...and published on the subject. An analysis of homeless I did 20 years ago on 7 major cities showed that the ratio of homeless to churches was seven to one. Churches are uniquely suited to help the homeless -- not only are they directed by their Leader to help the homeless, their congregations have Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, Social Workers, and Employers -- all of whom are directed by their Leader to help. It is a great benefit that churches have huge facilities, numerous bathrooms, and are blessed with great heating systems. These facilities are seldom used during daylight hours and almost never at night. You could not start from scratch and design a better support system for the poor and homeless.

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