July 20, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – An angry crowd of residents confronted Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe during a community forum in Lemon Grove Thursday night, most opposed to a homeless sleeping cabin project voted on by Supervisors before the community’s voices were heard. The meeting had to be moved to the recreation center’s gymnasium to accommodate the overflow turnout.
Just two days earlier, Supervisors voted 4-0 to move forward on the project, with Chair Nora Vargas absent. The forum, held after the vote, left many residents feeling lied to. as they had believed Thursday's forum was a chance for the community to be heard. The crowd was loud and passionate.
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July 17, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – Residents of Lemon Grove were told there would be a community forum tomorrow to discuss the possibility of bringing 70 sleeping cabins to Lemon Grove to house homeless people. But County Supervisors voted 4-0 yesterday (with Nora Vargas absent) to move forward on the project just two days before the community forum, leaving residents to wonder if their input ever mattered.
The project was to be built with a $10 million dollar grant from the state originally slated for 150 sleeping cabins in Spring Valley, but that project was cancelled after objections from neighbors over proximity to homes and sensitive sites. Vargas said she “heard the concerns of the community” and backed instead building a smaller-scale project in Lemon Grove near the Spring Valley boundary.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Board of Supervisors to held hearing July 16 on sleeping cabins, before July 18 community forum in Lemon Grove
By Jessyka Heredia
July 10, 2024 (Lemon Grove) — County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe is holding a community forum July 18 to hear from community members. On a flyer announcing the event, she states, “San Diego County is exploring the possibility of placing 60-70 sleeping cabins at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road in Lemon Grove.” The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.
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Photos, top left to bottom right: Homeless people camped in Lemon Grove and their stories: Erika, a diabetic unable to drive; Christopher, a widower and carpenter seeking work; Elijah, who says his unemployment payments were stolen, Cardell, a nurse whose family died, and Kimberly, 78, who says she has lung cancer and a fractured skull; she has been sheltering in a rancid storm drain after her tent burned.
July 2, 2024 (Lemon Grove)--58-year-old Kimberly is frail, petite, and in desperate need. She struggles to push a shopping cart laden with rumpled belongings on a scorching July afternoon. The elderly woman, her wrinkled skin tanned and leathery, coughs frequently. An edge of fear underlies her soft voice.
”I have lung cancer,” she says. Kimberly tells us that she suffered a fall recently in a nearby parking lot. “I’ve got a fractured skull right now.” “Nobody’s helping me,” she says sadly.
Kimberly is one of 293 homeless people in Lemon Grove who might be helped if the County approves funds to build 60-70 sleeping cabins in Lemon Grove at Troy and Sweetwater. On July 18at 6 p.m. a public hearing on this issue at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane, Lemon Grove, Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe has announced.
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An angry crowd of residents confronted Supervisor 
Residents of Lemon Grove were told there would be a community forum tomorrow to discuss the possibility of bringing 70 sleeping cabins to Lemon Grove to house homeless people. But County Supervisors voted 4-0 yesterday (with Nora Vargas absent) to move forward on the project just two days before the community forum, leaving residents to wonder if their input ever mattered.
County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe is holding a community forum July 18 to hear from community members. On a flyer announcing the event, she states, “San Diego County is exploring the possibility of placing 60-70 sleeping cabins at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road in Lemon Grove.” The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.
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