ACLU Again Sues Laguna Over its Homeless Policy

Editor,

Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig stated in response to the

announcement of the second ACLU lawsuit that: “It is very disappointing

to be a target of the ACLU given the city’s proven track record of being

a leader in providing services to the homeless community.”

Laguna’s homeless shelter was established as result of the legal settlement between the city and the ACLU. Can leadership be defined as settling an ACLU lawsuit with a shelter that has air conditioning and a laundry and a bus to town? With 42 people sleeping in one large room you better have air conditioning otherwise it becomes a sauna, not a shelter.

While the shelter is a good start for managing the homeless problem it’s

clearly not a long term solution. An “evidence based solution” that has gained

nationwide recognition in the US and Canada is “housing first.” This simple strategy, was adopted 10 years ago in Salt Lake City and smaller towns like Medicine Hat, Canada (p. 61,000), and has worked to provide housing to 90% for the chronically homeless in those cities. “Housing first” has been shown to work financially and socially, aside from the fact that it’s the right thing to do.

“Housing first” works because it takes the chronically homeless, who typically have a disability, drug addiction or mental health problem, off our streets and provides an appropriate site to provide the services needed to re-integrate them back into society, when possible.

The funding for the Salt Lake City initiative, now 10 years old, came from the city,

the state of Utah, and the Mormon Church. However, the majority of funding

came from grants provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which now gives priority to the “housing first” strategy over other approaches. Closer to home, cities like Costa Mesa and Fullerton are working with NGO’s to build housing for their homeless populations.

In fact, Laguna’s Friendship Shelter has received a grant for this purpose. Unfortunately it appears that our city’s leaders lack the willpower to make it happen.

Rather than facing continued legal issues and possibly an expensive class action lawsuit, isn’t it time for Laguna to implement “housing first”?

George Weiss, Laguna Beach