Homeless to get year-round site

Laguna’s homeless will have a roof over their heads year-round, set to open by the time the ACT V alternate sleeping location has to be vacated in mid-June for summer tourist parking.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to relocate the homeless shelter from ACT V to property at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road, between the Bark Park and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. The parcel, recently acquired by the city from Verizon, will accommodate a larger facility, with more services and better transportation. It will cost less to operate, due to the participation of the Laguna Relief and Resource Center Coalition.

“We knew that ACT V was not a permanent solution, and we’ve been working on this since we bought the property,” said Councilman Kelly Boyd. “What’s nice is that after all this time, the Resource Center and Friendship Shelter, with the assistance of Mercy House, and the city have reached a solution that made everybody — with just a couple of exceptions — happy.”

The new facility will comfortably handle about 45 people. They must have ties to Laguna — family connections, schooling or habitation. Those who have social security or other benefits might be asked to make pay a little to help defray the costs of the site, but some residents expressed concern about that notion.

Boyd and Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman have been working for more than two years with the representatives of charitable organizations and the business community to resolve the plight of Laguna’s homeless in a manner palatable to most residents and store owners, who were angered by inappropriate behavior and criminal activity at Heisler Park, on city beaches and the streets.

“I am enormously cheered,” said the Rev. Colin Henderson, founder of Friendship Shelter and a member of the Task Force on Homelessness. “We owe the city, which responded to this need.

“The city has been the catalyst for bringing the community together on this serious issue. The community has risen to the occasion and focused on what the city has done.”

Formerly homeless, Regan Hess expressed his appreciation for the help he received from homeless activist Don Black and all the volunteers to turn his life around.