Proposed Middletown ‘mega-shelter’ gets pushback from community
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A proposed 1,000-bed homeless shelter in Middletown San Diego is facing new opposition from the recently formed San Diego Neighborhood Coalition.
“My 1,000-foot take would be a thousand questions,” said Racquel Yardorobough, a board member of the coalition.
“I just don’t feel safe already downtown. I just cannot imagine having this 1,000-bed mega homeless shelter,” said Jacklyn Yen, a resident living near the proposed shelter site.
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Downtown neighbors, business owners and first responders gathered to discuss the difficulties they face daily due to unhoused people in the area. They expressed concerns about the potential impact of an additional 1,000 transient people in the Middletown corridor, particularly at the corner of Kettner Boulevard and Walnut Street.
“For the business owner and the local residents, I can see their concerns. It’s not about them having a place to stay, it’s about what are they going to do when they leave that place to stay,” Yardorobough added.
San Diego police officers who were present at the meeting noted that new, more lenient drug laws have exacerbated the situation.
“See a lot of people using drugs on the street,” said Hilton Williams, a San Diego community police officer. “Those used to be felony crimes, now it’s just a misdemeanor.”
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Kevin Arnold, President of the San Diego Neighborhood Coalition, voiced his concerns about the shelter’s location.
“We are already having problems with the homeless and criminals breaking into businesses and busting out windows. We think this is just not the right place to be putting a homeless shelter,” Arnold said.
The proposed shelter continues to be a contentious issue as the community debates its potential impact.
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