HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/8/2024 Item 5b, Brown, Craig
Craig Brown <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:PC Communication- Welcome Home Village Concerns
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Hello,
I have recently heard about the plans to construct the Welcome Home Village at the intersection of Johnson
and Bishop Street. I must admit I am a bit surprised by the speed in which this has been set upon our
community. As a physician, I have worked closely with the underserved community with Community Health
Centers in Paso Robles from 2016 through 2022 and now working at the California Men's Colony. I fully
understand the needs, but also the concerning features, of our homeless population. My biggest concern with
the housing first paradigm being set forth is the follow-through and the engagement from the city and county to
support this population in this residential neighborhood. Although housing first is an excellent idea in theory,
the practicalities of housing first to support of the previously homeless population is often underwhelming due
to financial constraints. Many individuals do not stay in housing, even if provided for free due to severe mental
health and substance use disorders. I know firsthand that this county's mental health programs are already
strained to the limit and that even at the Community Health Centers they only have one full-time psychiatrist
and can no way meet all of the needs of the underserved community.
Ultimately, my concerns come down to safety of our community. We have wonderful open spaces, Parks,
Elementary schools and neighborhoods, and to consider that a project like this would not have any detrimental
impact to our community without significant contributions to mental health programs, addiction programs, job
placement programs is myopic. If this housing first project came hand-in-hand with a significant increase in
funding for the above mentioned programming, I would have far less concern. However, it is not clear with the
long-term goal with this project is, and obviously there has not been community involvement to understand our
concerns about this project.
Sincerely,
Craig Brown, MD
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