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23 (6)Jennifer L. Hall From: Nicholas J. Taylor Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2021 12:19 PM To: Public Comment Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Conditional Use Permit No. 2021-06106 (DEV2021-00122) Attachments: Letter to Anaheim City Council.pdf Importance: High From: Danielle Guerrero <dguerrero@ferruzzo.com> Sent: Thursday, October 21, 202110:08 AM To: Nicholas J. Taylor <NJTaylor@anaheim. net> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Conditional Use Permit No. 2021-06106 (DEV2021-00122) Importance: High Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message. Dear Mr. Taylor: Please find attached to this email a letter of support regarding Conditional Use Permit No. 2021- 06106 (DEV2021-00122) which is set for hearing before the City Council meeting on October 26, 2021. 1 respectfully request that you direct this letter to the appropriate parties for consideration. Thank you, Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo, LLP 3737 Birch Street, Suite 400 Newport Beach, California 92660 T 949-608-6900 F 949-608-6994 dguerrero@ferruzzo.com www.Ferruzzo.com Confidentiality Notice: This electronic message and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential information that is legally privileged, and is intended to be viewed only by the individual or ­ntity to who th-- addressed. Any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is gtrictly prohibited. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or you receive this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by telephone at (949) 608- i,900 and destroy the original transmission and its attachments without reading or saving them in any tti t e r. 3737 BIRCH STREET, SUITE 400 NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA 92660 TELEPHONE: 949-608-6900 October 21, 2021 To the Anaheim City Council: I am writing this letter in support of Grandma's House of Hope ("GHH") and the proposed Conditional Use Permit ("CUP") (DEV2021-06016) located at 626 N. West St., Anaheim, CA 92801. I understand a vocal minority opposed approving the CUP for a property in their neighborhood that, if approved, would help GHH continue to serve a population that is frequently ignored and discriminated against. You are already informed about the support shown to GHH by county and state -level agencies. These agencies have already put their money where their mouths are by continuing to fund the incredible work done by GHH. Instead of listing these "monetary" votes of support again, I would like to address the impact of GHH on the local community. GHH has a developed a reputation as an organization that places a premium on serving those living on our streets. In addition to the financial hardships that lead to a loss of housing, this population often faces additional challenges, including undiagnosed mental health illness, addiction, and unique family dynamics. These challenges often serve as barriers to breaking the cycle of homelessness by compounding its effect on the individuals. Some people see these challenges and fear this population. They fear that homeless + mental illness/addiction/family dynamics will automatically endanger them, their families, and their financial security. The irony is that undiagnosed mental health illness, addiction, and unique family dynamics are not exclusive to the homeless population. We know that the neighborhoods with the prettiest lawns and best holiday decorations are home to community members with the same challenges. The fact of homelessness does not automatically make a person dangerous or justify excluding a population from the opportunity to join this community. An absence of community, however, can and sometimes does make a person living on the street afraid and desperate in a way that the vocal minority may never understand. GHH is here to provide that community and change lives, one house at a time. GHH offers safety and support in a program that not only addresses the immediate (and sometimes emergent) needs of the participants but further aids them in establishing stability and independence once they "graduate" from GHH. By doing so, GHH actually enhances the local community by transitioning many of the participants from a desperate and dangerous living situation to one of love, support, and, most of all, structure. Without GHH, these participants lose what might be their only avenue to recovery, freedom, and the opportunity to give back to the community. What more could the Anaheim residents want than to see that woman you always see on the comer or that man who sleeps behind the dumpster get clean, obtain housing, and find employment? Anaheim City Council October 21, 2021 Page 2 If you are interested in my opinion, the proper community response to an organization like GHH is to get behind the cause, not act as one more barrier. GHH takes it upon itself to "rescue and restore" homeless individuals who are ignored by society. We should all rally behind Je'net Kreitner and her staff who are truly doing the Lord's work. All they ask is to not get shut down by the vocal minority who do nothing on their own to help this population and offer no solution other than "not in my backyard." I "rally" by serving on the GHH Board of Directors. My parents and siblings "rally" by donating monthly and for fundraising campaigns. My friends "rally" by donating Secret Santa gifts for program participants during the holidays and volunteering on site with their families. On Tuesday, I ask that the Anaheim City Council "rally" by looking beyond the vocal minority and joining with GHH in its cause by approving the CUP. Thank you, 1 U-401 1 am= =W5131m ��*