Local School Kids, Sally’s Fund, Housing and Human Services Committee Came A-caroling to Lift Spirits

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Holiday cheer arrived on foot last Wednesday when a group of about 30 elementary and middle school children, parents, and members of the city’s Housing and Human Services Committee, Sally’s Fund staffers, and newly elected City Councilmember Alex Rounaghi caroled at the Vista Aliso Apartments. The seniors who live in the gated, 71-unit low-income senior housing complex on Wesley Drive waved from their balconies, sang along, and accepted candy canes from youngsters.

This is the second year the group has sung to the seniors. Parents Stacy Anderson and Michelle Cornell organized the event.

Rounaghi, who recently won a seat on City Council, will step off as chair of the Housing and Human Services Committee and is expected to be appointed to serve as one of two council liaisons. The second committee liaison is Mayor Pro Tem Bob Whalen.

“Our Housing and Human Services group is committed to never forgetting the humanity of those who reside in our subsidized living communities,” said Ketta Brown, the newly appointed chair of the committee. Caroling for the Vista Aliso residents lets them know they are held in our hearts and brings us closer as a community. A city can be judged by how its most vulnerable citizens are treated. In that spirit, Laguna has been charged with creating 394 additional housing units over the next seven years, and 198 of these must be for low-income residents. I hope our committee can help the City create a vision and action plan that fulfills this charge while educating Laguna residents about the value and necessity of having a diverse population that will keep our town the unique, vibrant home it is.”

The Laguna Beach Housing and Human Services Committee is a nine-member volunteer group of residents appointed by City Council to assess and identify housing opportunities and human needs for the community, especially people who are low-income, elderly, disabled, and unhoused. The City is currently seeking new members for this and other committees.

Sally’s Fund is a nonprofit that offers assisted and escorted door-to-door transportation service to medical and other appointments within a 30-mile radius, food and grocery delivery, and more for Laguna Beach’s frail seniors and people with disabilities. It operates through donations and grants with a lean staff and a team of volunteers. sallysfund.org.

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