HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06111996 - C87 C.87
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on June 11, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Rogers, Bishop, DeSaulnier, Torlakson and Smith
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
SUBJECT: Correspondence
C. 87 LETTER dated May 23, 1996, from Jerome Knott, Executive Director, Love-A-Child
Ministries, 2301 Willow Pass Road, Bay Point, CA 94565, commenting on the work of his
ministry and desire to shelter the disadvantaged through utilization of mobile units.
****REFERRED TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, SOCIAL
SERVICES DIRECTOR, HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTOR, AND BUILDING INSPECTOR
IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the recommendation noted (****) is approved.
I hereby certify thrt this is a true and correct copy of
an action t-ken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervion the date sh n.
ATTESTED:
PHIL BAT ELOR pe of the Board
of Super i and 644tlty Administrat0ir
sr ' t
0
c.c. Correspondent
Community Development Director
Social Services Director
Health Services Director
Building Inspector
HELP FIGHT N.I.M.B.Y. IN ITS WO
Support Women and Children's homeless fiel
May 23, 1996 ;'�/q'AY 3 0 1996
To whom it may Concern' ERK BOAR r SUPERVISORS
Y CL CONTRA CC5TA CO.
Love-A-Child Ministries is located at 2301 Willow Pass Road, a main artery, in
Bay Point. Along this same artery, within less than a thousand feet, are five
businesses. They are all licensed to sell alcohol. Two of these businesses are bars
and one is a liquor store. Within this same strip, drug dealers have set up their shop
by using the coverage of the late night traffic of the bars and liquor store to hide their
activities.
One of Love-A-Child Ministries mission purposes is to help those who have
become victims of drug and alcohol abuse and their lives have become unmanageable
and in many cases the result is becoming homeless. In 1994 our ministry decided it
wanted to build a church chapel that could be used for worship services for the
women and children in our homeless recovery program. We went to our county's
planning department with goals of securing a permit for a dual modular unit that was
to be used as our church. Later we received a letter from Contra Costa County
Planning Department stating that this would be a very costly project. The
environmental impact report alone would cost up to $50,000. They encouraged us to
reconsider our expansion plans due to the heavy cost of development fees. In
addition, we were instructed to appear before our local advisory board here in Bay
Point. We complied with this instruction and found some support by the Bay Point
Municipal Advisory Committee, however the Bay Point Project Area Committee
rejected the project. In 1995 we again appeared before this sarne board. V11e
expressed our feelings that we were helping, not hurting our community. We shared
that this would be a chapel specifically for our homeless women & children. We were
still denied support on the grounds that this was not the type of building or use they
would like in this part of Bay Point. Shortly after this decision they permitted a bar to
open right across the street from the shelter. Also another liquor license was issued to
another business that is right next door.
During this same time we found that Contra Costa County was using mobil
units to house homeless individuals in the west portion of the county. We thought this
was a good idea and decided that we would do the same. We were denied permits
for our units because the zoning called for a minimum five acre lot. When asked how
the county was able to have their shelter on less than five acres we were told they do
not have to abide by their own regulations.
With great conviction we felt we had to make a moral decision: Is it more
important to meet the regulations that are before us or to meet the emergency needs
that are before us? We found our priorities lie with meeting the emergency needs of
our community.
We ask for your support through prayer in finding a reasonable resolution in this
matter. Thank you for your time. May God bless you.
Jerome Knott C• '�'�'�-� 1' '� /�,v
Executive Director
(510) 458-5663