San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
RESIDENTS AT SHELTER FIND CONNECTION IN CREATING ART
Some say painting, drawing as part of art program take their minds off stress that comes with being homeless
COVID-19 milestones come and go regularly these days, and it seems like the public has become numbed by the numbers.
Last week, San Diego County recorded its 1,000th coronavirus death and while it wasn’t met with a shrug, it was received with the grim acknowledgment of something bad that was expected.
The ubiquitous human stories have helped put faces on the tragedy, about people lost to the disease and how that affected family and friends who could only standby helplessly — at a distance.
But every day, indoors and outside, people are seen throwing precautions to the wind, not wearing masks and gathering closely as if the coronavirus pandemic was happening somewhere else.
As each COVID-19 milestone passes, there’s always hope the next one will be the one to shock everybody into acting responsibly.
This is probably wishful thinking, but there’s a coming statistic that may cause even skeptics to pause and think.
“By this time next week, we are going to be talking about 3,000 deaths a day,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a renowned cardiologist and professor at George Washington University, told CNN in a story published Thursday.
“That’s 9/11 every single day.”
Most people probably don’t think about the pandemic in relation to the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but maybe they should, given how that tragic event nearly two decades ago jarred the entire nation and changed the world.
This sounds tiresome, but it bears repeating: Simple measures can prevent further loss of life from COVID-19. It’s dumbfounding, and more than a little maddening, that everybody doesn’t want to take them — even for their own selfpreservation, if not to protect others.
“We need to mask up. We need to social-distance,” Reiner said. “In some areas where it is really bad, we are going to need to shut down certain things, like bars and restaurants. We can’t keep
As she began painting a Christmas-themed wooden light box, Brenda Galvan reflected on the joy and peace of mind artwork has brought to her life.
“It means the world to me,” she said. “It keeps me from going crazy. I enjoy it so much. It gets me up in the morning.”
It’s also something that had been missing from her life until recently. Galvan has been homeless for the past year, and creating art
“When I’m sitting here painting, I don’t think about being homeless.” Brenda Galvan • Alpha Project client living at the Convention Center shelter
was not possible for much of that time.
About five months ago, Galvan moved into the shelter at the San Diego Convention Center as a client of the Alpha Project, one of three service providers overseeing parts of the venue. When she heard about an art program at the shelter, she was eager to join.
“When I’m sitting here painting, I don’t think about being homeless,” said Galvan, who once taught a tole painting class in Riverside. “We can come over here and just think about painting, not the other stuff that goes along with everything.”
The temporary shelter holds about 1,000 people and opened in April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The large venue allows for beds to be spaced further apart than other shelters, and staff members inside provide a variety of services including health care and help in finding homes.
In July, the nonprofit Mental Health Systems created a Sunday art program that provides supplies and space.
“It’s therapeutic for them, and gives them a sense of worth to have their art displayed,” said Elsa Gaytan, a substance abuse counselor with Mental Health Systems.
Paintings and other artwork created in the program are displayed as “Art of the Home,” with paintings, drawings, ceramics and other pieces arranged on a table in one of the large common-area rooms open for all the shelter clients. The art display isn’t open to the public, but it has been admired by some shelter visitors, including one who paid $100 for a painting of a dragon.
city vehicle fuel station, and the relocation of the police training room from John Landes Park. City officials are evaluating the condition of the old school buildings and other factors to help determine what would be the best use or uses.
Any civic use of the property will require a conditional use permit, which must be approved by the Oceanside Planning Commission. Residents will have a chance to weigh in on the choice at community meetings and at the commission’s public hearing, Deputy City Manager Jonathan Borrego said Thursday.
There could be multiple uses on the site, but it’s unlikely there’s room for all the possibilities being considered, he said.
Councilman Christopher Rodriguez suggested the city take 60 days to investigate “the viability and feasibility” of the proposed uses before committing to the purchase.
“This property presents a lot of opportunity, but at a high ticket price,” Rodriguez said.
City staffers said the sale takes 90 days to become final, and that they will have a more detailed assessment of the site and its proposed uses ready for the council within 60 days. Escrow is expected to close no later than March 31. As a result, the council decided not to delay the purchase.
“There is a definite need for this property,” said Councilwoman Esther Sanchez.
“The homeless shelter is a high priority,” Sanchez said. “I am satisfied that the staff has done its due diligence and looked at the potential uses.”
Money for the purchase is available in the city’s “assigned infrastructure” funds, which has an available balance of $6.1 million.
Oceanside accepted a $649,151 grant in June from the state Department of Housing and Community Development for what would be the city’s first year-round homeless shelter.
The emergency shelter program would be operated for the city by a nonprofit contractor and would include support services such as counseling and job placement for clients. Potential clients would be referred by the Police Department’s homeless outreach team and by the city’s housing division.
The city is in line for up to $3.9 million in state grants for the program over the next five years if it is successful.
Oceanside has one of the highest homeless populations in North County and has seen its numbers increase in recent years. Shelters in Oceanside and Carlsbad report a significant number of their clients are from Oceanside.
Ocean Shores High School, a public alternative school built in 1974 by Oceanside Unified School District, closed at the end of the 2018-19 school year because of declining enrollment. The campus had 138 students in its final year.
Since then, the district has consolidated its alternative education programs at the Surfside Educational Academy on South Ditmar Street, formerly Ditmar Elementary School. The district declared the Ocean Shores campus to be surplus property in November 2019 and listed it for sale.
The campus has three permanent buildings and three modular buildings on the property. Borrego said no decisions have been made about which of the buildings might continue to be used or what structures might be added.
“A lot will be based on the assessment,” Borrego said.
The city of Oceanside is buying Ocean Shores High School campus for $1.88 million.
philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com