When the city of Buena Park held a town hall about a new shelter for unhoused people, discussions quickly became heated.
State funding and a recent lawsuit meant the Orange County city was under tight deadlines to choose a shelter site, and 7101 Lincoln Avenue seemed like a good fit for a type of shelter called a navigation center that includes on-site services. It was near a commercial intersection with a grocery store, pharmacy and other businesses, and along a major street with access to public transportation. It also partially bordered a residential neighborhood.
But one by one, community members at the February 2019 meeting told city officials that the shelter did not belong anywhere near their neighborhood. Some worried about property values; others said the location posed safety concerns for a nearby elementary school. “A shelter should not be near schools, shopping centers and major traffic areas,” one resident wrote on an index card. “Homeless shelters should be in an industrial area, not in a residential area,” wrote another…