Chula Vista’s tiny home village – designed to house homeless people – was supposed to open in January. It didn’t open until May 15. And, as reporter Kathryn Gray learned, it’s also operating well below capacity.
The village is a collection of 65 smaller structures. They don’t have running water, but they do have heating and air conditioning, power outlets and a lamp.
Its capacity: Even though the village has 65 units – each with two twin beds – the site is currently only able to serve 20 people at one time.
Chula Vista officials declined to provide exact figures on how many people have been staying at the village. They said that it has ranged from five to 20.
Chula Vista’s homeless solutions manager said ongoing plumbing and electrical issues are preventing the village from opening fully. She said, however, that she hopes all units will be operating by the middle of next week.
City Net, a company which operates the village, doesn’t allow just anyone to sleep on the site. The homeless solutions manager said that those who enter the village must be committed to changing their situation.
Officials declined to say exactly what that meant – or provide the code of conduct that governs the village. Drugs and alcohol, they said, are not allowed on the premises.
One Safe Camper Holds Online Discussion Forum
A person who said they are staying at the city’s new safe camping site started an “AMA,” or Ask Me Anything, post on the social media website Reddit. The discussion (you can read the full thing here) was fascinating.
On the one hand, the poster described the camp site as relatively well setup and said there were numerous bathrooms that are cleaned regularly. On the other, they said the site didn’t seem to be helping people plan for re-entering housing.
“There are zero outreach workers so far. I am hoping this changes, because I was hoping by entering here that it would lead me to better services targeted towards my needs. So far it seems to be just a temporary place to eat, live and sleep away from public view,” the poster wrote.
Other tidbits:
“Crowd seems to be mostly older women, older men, mostly white and many with physical disabilities. I would personally consider many of these people unemployable, except for very, very specific mundane types of jobs.”
“Yes, dogs are allowed. They are to be on leash ‘at all times’ with no exceptions.”
“I guess I would say I feel as safe as when I tried the shelter system. Perhaps a tiny bit safer just because the tents are individual, whereas the shelters were dormitory style with hundreds in one large room.”
County Accepts State Funds to Boost Behavioral Health Beds
County supervisors on Tuesday voted to accept $44.3 million in state Behavioral Health Bridge Housing grant funds to bolster board-and-care bed offerings as they prepare to implement CARE Court.
The county ultimately wants to add 450 board-and-care slots for people with Medi-Cal.
As our Lisa Halverstadt reported last year, the upcoming CARE Court mandate to provide civil court-ordered care for participants will further expose the county’s years-long shortage of long-term care options for behavioral health patients, including board-and-care beds, without more investments. The county and the state have now clarified their belief that now-dwindling board-and-care facilities will be crucial resources for the new initiative.
In Other News
- Despite hours of deliberation Monday, the Aztecs still aren’t sure how or if their break up with the Mountain West Conference will play out. (Union-Tribune)
- Twenty nine ballot drop boxes opened Tuesday for the District 4 election to replace former county supervisor Nathan Fletcher. Residents are encouraged to vote by mail but can also use the county’s online locator tool to find the box closest to them. The last date to vote is August 15. (KPBS)
- A new proposed bill targeted at electric bike safety would prohibit anyone under the age of 12 from riding an electric bike and also mandate that riders without a driver license take an online test and receive an identification card from the state. (Fox 5)
- School police officers for San Diego Unified are calling for their chief to be placed on leave after a complaint that he has been dating a subordinate and allowing her to commit time card fraud. (U-T)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Lisa Halverstadt and Kathryn Gray. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
“City Net, a company which operates the village…”
honest t’ sh!t, don’t any of you folks know English any more?!
City Net, THE company THAT operates the village.