A letter from the Dana Point City Council asking a faith-based group to stop feeding homeless people at Doheny State Beach surfaced at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
The letter comes after residents of Dana Point reiterated their concern about public safety at the beach in regards to vagrants.
The Welcome Inn, a nonprofit that has served meals to the homeless and working poor in Capistrano Beach since 2008, has been asked to stop its daily free food service because it attracts the homeless population and works against the city's efforts to end the homeless problem.
“The city’s desire is for Welcome Inn to stop the feed at Dohney State Beach and instead work with the city and its partners to eliminate homelessness in the Dana Point regional area,” said the City Council letter, dated June 18 and signed by Councilman Paul Wyatt. “The city’s homeless outreach professionals have advised that this activity is not consistent with best practices to achieve ending homelessness and is detrimental to reaching this goal.”
The residents suggest the volunteers with The Welcome Inn should work toward housing solutions with the city’s Homeless Task Force, Family Assistance Ministries and Mercy House.
A task force was put together in the area recently and they released a report indicated two-thirds of the people taking advantage of the meals have criminal backgrounds.
Read the full story on The Orange County Register.
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