Residents urge urgent action on homelessness and shelter gaps during Paso Robles public comment

Several residents, advocates and service providers used the Oct. 21 public-comment period at the Paso Robles City Council meeting to press the council and staff for more immediate action on homelessness and to request stronger oversight and case-management resources for low-barrier shelters.

Speakers described people living in riverbeds, encampments and downtown who lack emergency shelter and said current shelter programs frequently discharge residents without follow-up supports. Becky Jorgensen, representing Hope’s Village, asked the council to place the organization’s plan for Borky Flats (a parcel the speaker said is in a flood zone) on a future agenda and described Hope’s Village as a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) with outreach and an RV-for-veterans program. Another commenter, Kimberly, an unpaid street outreach advocate, said the county’s three shelters operate with inadequate hands-on services for people with co-occurring mental and medical conditions and asked the city for oversight and trained case managers.

Aurora William, a master-level addiction counselor who has worked in…