Two recreational trailers arrived at Laguna Beach’s Alternative Sleeping Location this weekend to provide quarantine space in the event a homeless guest becomes symptomatic for the coronavirus.
No guests at the ASL are symptomatic for COVID-19 and the trailers were unoccupied Tuesday, according to its nonprofit operator—The Friendship Shelter.
“They provide the ASL with an option to isolate an individual that might be symptomatic, but doesn’t require hospitalization,” city spokesperson Cassie Walder wrote in an email.
Laguna Beach acquired the trailers from the state at no cost as part of Gov. Gavin Newson’s executive order to support California’s homeless population during the COVID-19 pandemic, Walder wrote in an email.
Dawn Price, executive director of The Friendship Shelter, credited the lack of ASL or Bridge Housing Program shelter clients symptomatic for COVID-19 “in large part to the terrific work of our staff.”
“We are happy for all available resources to keep our staff and clients safe during this health emergency,” Price wrote in an email.
The Friendship Shelter has operated the ASL under a contract with Laguna Beach since 2009. The shelter provides a place for up to 45 people to sleep each night, offering showers, hot meals, clean laundry facilities, sleeping mats, warm blankets, and a caseworker to connect homeless individuals with services and resources, according to the city’s website.
Correction: Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated the status of daytime services at the Alternative Sleeping Location. The Independent regrets the error.
The ASL shelter in Laguna Beach is currently offering the following services to homeless individuals already enrolled in its daytime program: showers, laundry, mail, lunch meal, computers, clothing, hygiene supplies, and outreach social services, as well as consideration for enrollment at the shelter. Guests remain at the site except for essential trips to the pharmacy or grocery store.
Only those who are enrolled in the ASL’s program are offered access to the shelter from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. No drop-in services are offered during these hours, according to the city’s website.
The ASL shelter in Laguna Beach is not currently offering any day services as noted in the article for any new arrivals, only for those who are already in the program. Residents remain on the premises 24/7 as a precaution to avoid contact and partake in social distancing. Trips to the pharmacy or supermarkets are made daily and for essentials only.