A non-profit group feeding the homeless in an Orange County city is running afoul of local authorities. The Dana Point City Council has asked the group “Welcome In” to change their ways or stop their activities.
City Council member Paul Wyatt says the group’s approach is hampering the city’s efforts to find a long-term solution for the homeless population.
“This program arrives in the back of a truck. They take out tables. They set up. They hand out food. They drive away.”
Wyatt says the homeless need a lengthier engagement with helpers if they are to be weaned off endless giveaways that ultimately demean them.
“You have to work with them and offer them hope and services. You have to engage with them as equals and talk them through the process of getting them services and off the street. It’s a much messier interaction than preparing and handing out food, but it is in fact essential to resolving the problem.”
Councilman Paul Wyatt was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News