Committee debates bridge-housing options, tiny homes and funding limits for homelessness

Stuart Anderson, speaking as a member of the homelessness work group, told the Safety & Welfare Committee that interviews with people experiencing homelessness show varied causes but a common limiting factor: lack of financial resources. He said roughly 30% of people interviewed refused help, about 10% would accept congregate shelter, and the remainder would consider indoor options such as shared or tiny-home units.

Anderson proposed exploring bridge-housing models, including tiny-home communities similar to those built by a group he named as Dignity Moves (he said the closest such community is in San Bernardino with about 140 units, managed by Lutheran Social Services). He said the work group had identified potential funding via an Orange County supervisor but noted the primary constraint is finding land with utilities in or near San Clemente.

Committee members discussed legal and political barriers: city-owned parcels may be near residential backyards, the city's open-space initiative and environmental constraints can complicate siting, and county or state funds are often designated for shelters rather than non-congregate bridge housing. Members also debated point-in-time count discrepancies (one member said San Clemente's count was lower than county figures) and stressed the high per-year cost of local outreach (a park-ranger program figure of about $2,000,000 was cited).

Several members emphasized that San Clemente has an established outreach program (named staff Troy and Carly) and said the city avoids transferring individuals to other cities for shelter. No formal motion to adopt a specific housing project was made; members asked staff and the work group to continue exploring sites, funding options and program models.