LEMON GROVE, Calif. (KGTV) — Lemon Grove has been awarded an $8.4 million state grant to help over 100 people experiencing homelessness along the SR-94 corridor. The money will go toward rental assistance, intensive case management, and other support services.
City leaders say they're hopeful this funding will bring much needed resources to those living on the streets, but this is just one piece of the puzzle of tackling homelessness.
Another project that has been in the works for months is the controversial sleeping cabin sites at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road.
San Diego County approved that plan last July to bring up to 70 cabins, restrooms, laundry facilities, and on-site services to Lemon Grove. It came after residents in Spring Valley successfully fought to keep a similar project out of their neighborhood, a move that made the county lose $10 million in state funding towards that project.
Since the approval of this one, some Lemon Grove residents have their own concerns.
They say the site is near homes, local businesses, and just a mile from Mount Vernon Elementary School, and some believe the county should be looking at other ways to help those in need.
"We're not going to fix the homeless situation, we just keep throwing money at it left and right," Ken King, a concerned resident, told ABC 10News. "Look at every single program that's here. We have more and more homeless every single day because we're not fixing the addiction. We're not fixing the mental health issue."
ABC 10News has previously reported on the lack of available shelter beds in the County.
The Lemon Grove City Council will be discussing the project as an informational item at their next meeting on March 4.
