OP-ED: LE Taking Lead, Combatting Homelessness With Partner SWAG

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted for publication by Lake Elsinore Councilman Robert Magee:

Two years ago, while the majority of California’s elected leaders were busy burying their heads in the sand or searching for ways to raise your taxes to combat Homelessness, one City did something about it. Lake Elsinore created a Homeless Task Force in the Summer of 2017 that included elected members of the City Council, the Sheriff’s Department, Code Enforcement, Riverside County, non-profit community, business community and the Social Work Action Group (SWAG). The Task Force quickly agreed that our Valley wanted to help those in need but would not enable anyone to break the law.

Six months later, the City entered into an agreement with the newly established non-profit, SWAG, to provide street level public outreach services for the homeless community in Lake Elsinore. The Group worked closely with law enforcement, business owners, property owners, Code Enforcement and County Social Services. The City held public outreach meetings to inform its citizens and businesses to report illegal behavior and not to enable it through donating to panhandlers. The City and its people began to adapt and embrace a culture of Responsible Compassion; A hand up not a hand out.

The City performs approximately two homeless camp clean ups a week in partnership with law enforcement, which yield on average 50 tons of trash and debris that must be removed from public and private property and disposed of in the local landfill. Some call it a kind of concierge service for the Urban Outdoorsman who have chosen this lifestyle. But, the City continues this practices as a matter of public health and to demonstrate the pride we have in our community.

In the two years that Lake Elsinore has partnered with SWAG, we have transitioned 101 people out of homelessness. Meanwhile LA’s Mayor bragged last month about placing 40 individuals in permanent housing, this after his $1 Billion Dollar tax increase on his constituents. Clearly, in Lake Elsinore, we are both more fiscally prudent and effective.

In March of this year, the City of Lake Elsinore joined with its partners, the City of Wildomar and the County of Riverside to apply for State funding: Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) and our group was awarded $1.5 Million Dollars! Not only were we the only collaborative group in Riverside County to win an award, but we were amongst the only cities to apply. These funds are now available, and Lake Elsinore has already taken steps to put the grant money to good use by hiring a new Community Services Officer, a Housing and Outreach Specialist, and expanding its professional services agreement with SWAG.

SWAG will now have the resources to hire a Licensed Therapist, a Licensed Physician, and create a Housing Database for placement of their clients (i.e. the Homeless). Their process is simple, yet time consuming and emotionally draining; Housing first, Drug Treatment and Behavioral Health next, all while providing an emotional and physical bridge back to normalcy.

So why haven’t other jurisdictions adopted this model? Because it’s hard! While Government must play a role in the Homeless Crisis, non-profit groups like SWAG have a greater degree of freedom to move within the community unencumbered by Union Contracts, Livable Wage Restrictions or piles of mindless bureaucratic paperwork. The System seems to work best when Government supports rather than controls the process. But it starts with strong leadership along with the support of an engaged constituency. Thankfully in Lake Elsinore we have both.

While we cannot end homelessness, we can offer hope and a meaningful pathway out of despair. It would be uncivilized to turn our backs on our fellow citizens or simply enable them to continue to live on the fringes of society without a sincere effort to address their issues, weather that is drug addition, domestic violence, mental health or physical disabilities. A civilized society has a moral obligation to take care of its most vulnerable. And Lake Elsinore has shown, that you don’t need a Billion Dollar tax increase to make that happen.

Robert "Bob" Magee
Lake Elsinore City Councilman