Politics & Government

Council to Consider Supporting Initiative on Homelessness

Lemon Grove’s council members will hear a report on the benefits of the “Keys to Housing: Toolbox to End Family Homelessness” initiative and decide if they will support it during Tuesday’s regular meeting.

According to its website, the initiative is, “a broad, regional coalition committed to ending the solvable crisis of family homeless in San Diego County.”

City staff is recommending the city vote to support the group and help in a variety of ways. Each night, nearly 1,700 children in the San Diego County region live on the street, in shelters or in vehicles, according to a Lemon Grove resolution.

“Family homelessness has an impact on the educational achievement of school-aged children … over the past two years, homeless prevention and rapid re-housing services have proven effective in preventing and ending homelessness for nearly 2,000 households in the San Diego region.”

As part of the resolution, the city would participate in the following:

  • Support the annual “Point-in-Time Count” efforts by announcing opportunities to volunteer through the City’s website or in some form of public notice.
  • Support regional efforts by providing families with school-aged children information regarding outreach efforts and alerting them of the locations that help low-income families enroll in MediCal services.
  • Endorse the creation of a “rolling registry” of unsheltered persons in the City by encouraging community groups to provide support to the effort.
  • Facilitate the dissemination of information to partners by referring to websites such as RTFHSD.org or KeystoHousing.org.
  • Preserve at-risk housing units and naturally affordable housing options in the community by distributing information about Federal, State, and local resources that provide housing development, rehabilitation, or other support.
  • Endorse the development of Rapid Re-Housing opportunities to minimize the length of time households spend homeless by providing a letter of need/support for applications for Federal assistance.
  • Encourage low-income household participation in mainstream resources by providing referral information at City facilities and on the City website.
The meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here