It saddens me to see some members of the City Council reject funding from the county to house the homeless. They complain about riverbed encampments, then refuse money that could house people who live there. Around the country, cities have found that housing the homeless is key to their success as people. Once housed they can receive counseling and services hard to provide on the run.
But Etta Waterfield and Alice Patino are openly against it. They believe that punishing the homeless is more important than housing them because it’s their fault they don’t have a home. They argue it would cost the city tax dollars to turn a motel into permanent housing units. How much does it cost to clean the riverbeds?
We need to call upon Gloria Soto, Carlos Escobedo, and Mike Cordero to redirect the conversation to how we can make this project work. Those three leaders have the power to save this project. Will they use it? Write to them and encourage them to do just that.
Gale McNeeley
Santa Maria
This article appears in Feb 3-10, 2022.