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Laguna Beach council keeps Alternative Sleeping Location open, asks staff for 60‑day review and ad hoc oversight
Summary
Council declined to close the daytime drop‑in services at the Friendship Shelter’s Alternative Sleeping Location (ASL), directed staff to seek more data and convene a short review, and authorized a possible limited contract extension while the city designs next steps.
Laguna Beach’s City Council on Monday rejected calls to shut the ASL daytime services and instead instructed staff to gather additional data, pursue a short community needs assessment and form an interdepartmental review over the next 60 days.
The council discussion followed more than an hour of public comment in support of keeping the ASL and its day program open. City Manager David Kiff said staff worried the city could become a regional draw for people seeking daytime services if other nearby jurisdictions increase enforcement without opening shelter beds. Kiff recommended against immediate closure and proposed a 60‑day period to complete a needs assessment and return with clearer options.
Why it matters: The ASL and the Friendship Shelter’s daytime program provide showers, laundry, food and case management and serve as a coordinated entry point to housing programs. Council members, staff and shelter operators all said keeping a local point of access to social services is critical to housing placements and public health, but they also acknowledged fiscal and operational pressures — including mounting calls for police service in and near the ASL after a change in enforcement policy in other jurisdictions.
What the council directed: Council voted to keep the ASL and daytime program operating for the moment, requested an internal needs assessment to estimate the number of Laguna‑only beds needed, directed staff to issue a request for information/procurement approach for operations and authorized the city manager discretion to extend the Friendship Shelter contract for a limited time (staff recommended up to six months) to avoid a service gap. Mayor Alex Renogy and one other council member will serve as an ad hoc pair to work with staff on next steps. The council also asked for a report back on proposed performance metrics such as placements into permanent housing and returns to homelessness.
What staff told the council: Police Chief Jeff Calvert and Lieutenant Jason Ferris reported a rise in calls for service in the areas around the ASL — both proactive foot patrols and reactive calls — and said the city’s park rangers are stretched. Friendship Shelter and ASL staff told council the day program often serves people who are transiently in town and that the program has been an important access point for people who later enroll and are placed into housing. Friendship Shelter leaders noted the program’s placement results: since 2019 the ASL has placed hundreds of people into housing and reported a high retention rate for placed households.
Outlook and next steps: Staff will complete a short needs assessment and return in approximately 60 days with findings and recommended contract language or procurement steps. The council also asked staff to engage the county and nearby jurisdictions about regional shelter capacity and to provide clearer data on whether the ASL’s day services are drawing non‑local users.
Ending: Council members stressed the need to balance compassion and public safety, and several said the city should continue working regionally to share responsibility for shelter capacity while preserving a local hub that connects people quickly to housing and services.
