The following letter was sent to the Marin Count Board of Supervisors, commenting on their proposal to locate 43 units of permanent supportive housing at 1251 South Eliseo Drive in Larkspur.
Dear Marin Supervisors,
Dear Supervisors,
I am writing you today in hopes that you will be open to listening to my opinion and concerns regarding the HomeKey project on South Eliseo. I’m writing as a citizen of Marin and as a retired public safety professional. While I do not reside in Greenbrae or Larkspur, I am very familiar with the residential neighborhood and medical facilities adjacent to the proposed project. I have also dealt with the homeless and criminal behavior for 30 plus years as a former member of the Twin Cities Police Authority.
Locating the proposed project in this very condensed area of residential and medical offices with adjacent parks, pathways, and schools is somewhat myopic. I believe that the availability of this piece of property is what is truly driving the project without regard to what will be the actual reality when housed with individuals with mental illness.
While many questions were answered in the FAQs and Youtube video, many are left unanswered. What is the Community Safety team and how much authority will they have? Will these individuals be tasked with and have the authority to use physical force to prevent an assault on someone merely walking to their doctor’s appointment? Will the Community Safety team follow a resident at 2 AM as he/she walks into the neighborhood? What about children walking or riding their bicycles to school who witness psychotic episodes?
These are just a few of the questions that will need to be addressed. Additionally, what legal recourse will local neighborhood residents and business professionals have when illegal acts occur to them, their tenants, or their property by residents of 1251 South Eliseo? Who will be accountable?
In closing, my hope is that group-think and the availability of this seemly great piece of property don’t cloud your judgment from seeing the reality of how this will have an adverse impact on those who live and work on South Eliseo on a daily basis.
Regards,
Mike McDuffee ~ Novato, CA