Opponents of the proposed homeless shelter on Superior Ave in Newport Beach are planning a protest before the city holds its next council meeting. Protesters will be assembling in front of City Hall at 6:30 PM on Tuesday. The council does not plan on discussing the project at the next meeting despite the protest.
Just last month the council decided to formally declare a “shelter crisis,” which allowed the city to waive development and zoning standards required for a shelter project and allows them to fast-track the development. Later that month the city agreed to continue to plan converting part of the city public works into a 40 bed homeless shelter at 592 Superior Avenue.
While the city hasn’t completely committed to the project, the council has budgeted $300,000 for facility design that would be converting already standing storage structures at the site into habitable environments. Staff and council members also say that the site is cost-effective and would have a quick turn around and be up and running in as little as three months.
Opponents of the shelter say that the shelter would concentrate homeless people at the location and ultimately drop property values, safety and quality of life for those around it.Fliers handed out by organizers read, “Newport Beach – The New Skid Row,””Children Come First, Budget Second,” and “This is Not A Crisis For Newport Beach”. They also note that there are two other shelters, Share Our Selves and the temporary shelter at the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene, are located within a mile of the proposed location.
