Board of Supervisors to held hearing July 16 on sleeping cabins, before July 18 community forum in Lemon Grove
By Jessyka Heredia
July 10, 2024 (Lemon Grove) — 
County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe is holding a community forum July 18 to hear from community members. On a flyer announcing the event, she states, “San Diego County is exploring the possibility of placing 60-70 sleeping cabins at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road in Lemon Grove.” The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.
The land that the county is proposing to put the cabins on is owned by Caltrans. It was originally planned for on/off ramps when the 125-freeway expansion happened, but neighbors opposed that project, so the land has stayed vacant.
The proposed project is just 0.3 miles or approximately 1500 feet as the crow flies from Lemon Grove’s brand-new Early Childhood education Center and a family daycare. Some residents have expressed concerns on social media, while others voice support.
Resident Bonnie Lutz commented, “Wish our Council would work for the citizens of Lemon Grove and not trying to use our city as a political maneuver. Our homeless do not, will not move into these. It will be a whole new group of homeless.”
ECM editor Miriam Raftery interviewed seven homeless people in Lemon Grove earlier this month, and all seven said they would like to move into the sleeping cabins, if they become available. However, it is not yet clear whether Lemon Grove residents would be given priority over homeless people from elsewhere.
In another Facebook post, resident Regina Bradley commented, “"Dump it in Torrey Pines or Rancho Bernardo. Why does the already undeserved communities have to continue incurring any amount of "dumping" of the city/county problems? The water flows well in Rancho Bernardo. There are no potholes & raggedy roads in Torrey Pines. Take the problems up north.”
But most of those homeless in East County are from East County. Several of those interviewed by ECM have family members living in Lemon Grove or within a few blocks of the city limits.
Resident Stephanie Potter expressed, “I hope this doesn't happen in the proposed spot in LG [Lemon Grove], they are literally remodeling the new ECEC Preschool/TK site right down the street on Palm. That’s really smart to house these people close to the school where 3- & 4-year-olds will be attending.”
Other residents, however, expressed support for the project, including Ellen Nash, who said, “I stand with these leaders. If there is a focus on working families. Those now contributing to the community like families living in their cars, working single parents or even productive individuals. Just need shelter. Those are the folks BAPACSD works with.”
Resident and avid volunteer Teresa Rosiak, who goes out every week to do outreach in Lemon Grove, told ECM “I am in favor, and yes in my backyard.”
Rosiak talked about what she experiences during her outreach program each week. “Just yesterday at the homeless outreach I did 10 intakes and was able to get a husband and wife living in their car at Washington Street park into safe parking on Imperial Ave,” she said. “The total number of homeless in Lemon Grove as of yesterday was 303 and we are in a crisis. We have to stop saying ‘no’ and passing the buck onto another communities like Spring Valley did to us, so the buck stops here with me.”
Rosiak stated, “We have outreached every Monday at 2:30 pm at the Big Lemon and we see the need with our boots on the ground, unlike the residents that just drive around and see the homeless. Some encampments house four to five people, some cars have three or four people in them. We collaborate with the Lucky Duck foundation, Lemon Grove Improvement Council, The Lemon Grove Forward Club etc.”
She concludes, “The need is now, and many residents are one paycheck away from being homeless, and if this happened to you, wouldn’t you want services and tiny homes instead of being in a car or on the sidewalk?”
Currently the city of Lemon Grove has no homeless outreach contract. Rosiak and her team are the only outreach happening and it is all volunteers. The city has been issuing a 72 hour notice to vacate any city property and fining business owners for having homeless encampments that occur on their sites, usually when the city has moved the encampments off city property, without providing any place for the homeless people to go.
ECM reached out to Councilmember Alysson Snow to tell us more about the project and why she supports bringing it to Lemon Grove.
Snow responded, “First, the tiny homes are shelters with dignity. People are able to sleep in their own room, able to lock their door, able to have their pet with them, and able to keep their belongings with them without fear of them being stolen.”
Snow continued, “Second, the County would offer wrap-around services that are proven to help people use this bridge housing to get into permanent housing while they receive services ranging from behavioral and mental health to work force training.”
“Third, the community can blend in with the surrounding area--with gardens and common areas. Finally, there are many safeguards in place to protect the neighbors, like onsite managers. People are already here, living in our parks, streets, and sidewalks. The encampments are untenable from a public safety standpoint. This tiny home community is a great step in the right direction for helping people living without a home and for protecting all of our community”, stated Snow.
ECM asked Snow, if this project does not move forward, what are some ideas Snow and her council colleagues have to help the homeless in Lemon Grove move a step closer to having shelter? Snow expressed, “Lemon Grove is holding listening sessions at the "Community Conversations" monthly events and County Board of Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe is hosting a Town Hall to not only discuss the tiny home community project with wrap-around services, but also potential Plan Bs. The community engagement is to make sure that these are not just Council-led ideas, but community-driven solutions. We need as many solutions as there are reasons to lose your housing.”
ECM also reached out to County Supervisor Montgomery-Steppe to get a better understanding of the format and if community members would be given a chance to speak, and if so, what the protocol would be. Montgomery-Steppes representative Ariel Gibbs responded, “The planned Community Outreach Forum on July 18th is not in collaboration with the Council member or the city—it is hosted by Supervisor Montgomery-Steppe.”
Gibbs explained, “For additional context, on July 16, the Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation with recommendations, including an analysis of feasibility, cost, and timeline to develop the Lemon Grove site with sleeping cabins. The forum on the 18th is meant to be informational, providing updates and facts to community members about what is actually taking place. We will also answer a few questions that have been submitted in advance through our survey and the RSVP form.”
If you would like to give your input but cannot attend the July 18 forum, fill out this survey so your voice can be heard. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAnMlIJwSEXQpsjNHZMpk24K4Zb8P0HzZkguGUbBWhJO_GIA/viewform