MODESTO, CA - The La Loma neighborhood can't find a balance between its homes and the homeless.
On April 5, the Modesto City Council may consider the La Loma neighborhood's appeal to block a new building permit for the Modesto Gospel Mission, a non-profit homeless rehab and recovery center.
The Mission wants to build a 5,000 sq. ft. facility for a 12 month residential recovery program.
Since 1993, homeowners off Yosemite Boulevard have both applauded the Modesto Gospel Mission for its effectiveness in getting rehab and educational help for homeless individuals and fought the Mission's policies and lack of control over the homeless who didn't want help.
"We in La Loma love the Mission," La Loma Neighborhood Association president, Mike Moradian said. "It serves its clients well, but when it's not open, we're expected to babysit the rest of the time."
Neighbors said the homeless enter their neighborhood after breakfast is served at the Mission and create social and environmental problems. Public urination, defecation, litter, loitering and begging are the top complaints.
"They will go into the parks and hang out on the children's swing set, so the kids don't want to go to the park anymore," Moradian said.
La Loma Senior Apartments Manager Babette Bowen said it's a full-time job keeping her tenants safe from harassment.
"Time and time again, I see some tenants greatly taken advantage of," Bowen said. "One time a woman escorted a tenant to her apartment door. Once inside her apartment, she started asking her for all kinds of things."
Bowen said her elderly and sometimes disabled tenants are easily intimidated or guilt into giving the homeless money.
"Imagine being in a wheelchair or a walker and not feeling like you're able to get away fast enough if you want to," Bowen said. "They often give in, because they are afraid."
The Mission administration said the new program would actually get more homeless people off of the streets, with the first 30 days not allowing the homeless to even leave the property.
"We understand the concerns in the community, but chonic homelessness is not part of our program," Modesto Gospel Mission Development Director Brad Wilson said. "I don't believe the people causing the problems in the neighborhood attend the Mission."
Wilson said the Mission encourages neighbors to take names and photographers of the perpetrators and give them to the Mission.
"The good thing about being a non-proft, non-goverment funded center, is that we can deny services," Wilson said. "If someone doesn't follow the rules, then they are out."
But the La Loma neighborhood wants more effort from Mission to control the problem and to be more involved in the community before it expands.
"Help us clean the bathrooms at the park and collect garbage off the streets," Moradian said.
Neighbors said they wanted the Mission to provide public restrooms, lockers and large trash cans outside.
"There's all kinds of issues that go deeper than 'what can we do to make whoever happy.'" Wilson said. "We are restricted by business and property codes and cannot just provide all of those things, because we are not allowed."
News10/KXTV