Opponents of the proposed Santa Ana homeless shelter to speak out at Tuesday’s City Council meeting

It looks like Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento finally is doing something about the homeless shelter the County of Orange is trying to locate at 1217 Normandy Place, in Santa Ana, as we reported earlier.  Sarmiento placed an item on the agenda for this week’s City Council meeting regarding the shelter:

DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED HOMELESS SHELTER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY’S EMERGENCY SHELTER ORDINANCE, MORATORIUM, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESEARCH ALTERNATIVE SHELTER SITES {Strategic Plan No. 3, 3} – Councilmember Sarmiento)

The site of the homeless shelter is less than 1,000 feet from a public school, Kennedy Elementary School, and Madison Park.  The nearest homes to the shelter site are the densely populated Cornerstone Village apartments at Minnie Street and McFadden, which are home to many immigrant families, according to the OC Weekly.

Opponents of the homeless shelter are asking residents and business owners to show up at the Santa Ana City Council meeting, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 5 pm.  Click here to read the meeting agenda.

The opponents make an interesting point – why not locate the shelter in Downtown Santa Ana, where the homeless are already at?  Why put it in a neighborhood full of families and businesses?