Well in the Desert president: Unanimous nonprofit permit vote ‘valiant’
Update: Following last night’s unanimous Palm Springs City Council decision to extend Well in the Desert’s permit an additional 18 months, the organization’s president, Arlene Rosenthal, has released a statement.
“I would like to thank the Palm Springs City Council for its 5-0 vote in favor of the extension of the well in the desert cup for a year-and-a-half,” Rosenthal stated. “It’s way past my bedtime but I am so greatly humbled by the outpouring of support from the wonderful people of Palm Springs.”
The Well in the Desert is a 501 c3 non-profit organization that “provides daily nutritious hot meals, emergency food assistance, weekly supplemental food distribution and a wide array of services through advocacy to those affected by poverty,” as per the Palm Springs Rotary Club website
“Some of your comments made me want to cry,” Rosenthal continues in the statement. “We grow more and more communal in our humanitarian feelings and efforts.”
The nonprofit provides much-needed to the Palm Springs homeless population, which stood at 138 as of the 2017 point-in-time homeless count. The 2018 Coachella Valley point in time homeless count was conducted in January, but the full report detailing the population numbers is yet to be released.
“Our journey is not over and we will take it together…” stated Rosenthal. “I’m going to go to sleep happily now with my renewal of faith in my fellow human beings.”
Rosenthal also thanked the staff, volunteers, and board of directors of the organization, as well as City Hall and Police Chief Bryan Reyes.
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Palm Springs City Council unanimously voted to extend conditional use permit for Well in the Desert Wednesday.
Well in the Desert helps feed, clothe, and house the homeless of our valley. The organization lost their building in May 2017 and opened a cooling center on Calle Encilia near downtown Palm Springs a month later.
The permit, issued 6 months ago, allows the organization to continue operating in that building. As part of the permit, Well in the Desert is required to meet certain requirements to stay open.
The council’s vote will extend that permit for 18 more months. After those 18 months, the council will review if they’ve met those compliances and vote whether to extend it again.
