Politics & Government

Dana Point Defends Limit on How Many Homeless Can Stay at Shelters

After the February death of a transient woman in a Capistrano Beach alley, advocates for the homeless have worked to add shelters locally.

When advocates for the homeless lobbied against Dana Point's 10-person shelter limit, the city manager pointed to criminal behavior and substance abuse by homeless people as a reason to preserve the cap.

"Churches, by right, are allowed to have a 10-bed emergency homeless shelter and could go to 20 beds with a conditional use permit," said City Manager Doug Chotkevys, pointing out that none had applied for such a permit. "[Churches] don't want to subject their congregation or schoolchildren to the dangers that come with operating an emergency shelter."

Volunteers with Interfaith Homeless Outreach Project for Empowerment (iHope), Welcome Inn and other organizations that help the homeless in Capistrano Beach started lobbying in force to find somewhere to house the homeless in town after

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Chotkevys pointed out it was alcoholism, not hypothermia or exposure that killed Fox, according to the Orange County coroner.

"It's truly tragic Brandy lost her battle with her demons," Chotkevys said. "Ms. Fox's cause of death was alcohol poisoning. I think her issues were much bigger than being homeless. I think its important to get that out there."

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Before 2011, when Dana Point limited churches to sheltering 10 people, Capo Beach Christian Church routinely sheltered about 50 people, volunteers said.

Chotkevys pointed to some assaults in the Capo Beach Church area, and one man who was arrested with stolen property this month -- a third-strike felon now in jail on a $1-million bond -- who told police he was a client of iHope.

Dana Point Police Services Chief Lynn Koehmstedt agreed with Chotkevys.

"We need to balance our compassion with our need for public safety down there," he said.

Steve Hagy, a San Clemente resident who has been involved in homeless causes for years, disagreed with city officials and reiterated the need for a homeless shelter in town.

"We hear stories today about things that happen in the streets. These things did not happen in the shelter," he said. "These circumstances are real life. The same crimes take place on the streets, whether its someone who is impoverished, whether its someone who is homeless -- which is not a crime -- whether its something that happens in the big, fancy houses up the street where alcoholism is not that much different."

He also said Fox's death, independent of the cause, could have been prevented with an open shelter.

"Regardless of how Brandy died, the last thing she said to me was, 'Where do I go now?'" Hagy said. "I don't know if she would have died of her addiction, but if that shelter were open, she would have been there, where alcohol isn't allowed, and she would be here today."


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