Palm Springs City Council temporarily extends permit for homeless services agency

UPDATE 11:00 p.m.

After a nearly five-hour discussion, the Palm Springs City Council voted to temporarily extend the permit for homeless services agency Well in the Desert.

This comes as the council searches for a new location for the agency.

The council will continue to discuss the future of the agency during its April 22 meeting.

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Clients from Well in the Desert gathered for a hot lunch Thursday outside a church near downtown Palm Springs.

The meals were served up by volunteers.

The homeless people were brought over in a van from Well in the Desert's main location on Calle Encillia.

"You know they give you clothes.  They give us food,  We all get fed.  She has resources that come in and help me," said homeless client Roland Carillo. 

It's the conditional use permit for the Well's main location that is up for review Thursday night.

The Well's President Arlene Rosenthal says she's optimistic their permit, up for review every 18 months, will be renewed by the council.

"We are a vital resource.  We are the only game in town that not only provides healthy hot meals but we provide everything else, all the social services," said Rosenthal. 

There are a few things Rosenthal wants from the council, including allowing homeless clients to smoke behind the building for roughly 15 minutes at a time.

She also wants permission to set up an area at the site for people to play bingo and hear poetry.

Rosenthal says she also wants permission from the city to allow clients to hang their wet laundry at the site so it can dry.

City manager David Ready spoke with News Channel 3 regarding the Well's permit.

He simply says the council could renew it, modify it, or revoke it, after listening to public comment.

Without providing specific numbers, which will be reviewed by the council, Ready says complaints about homeless in the city and complaints about clients served at The Well have increased over the past year.

"The problem is real. We have to take en approach to help everyone who needs help. If someone is breaking the law we are dealing with that issue in a different way," said Ready. 

Rosenthal says they're providing services to about 250 clients a day at the cooling center.

She also says demand for help is up 15 percent compared to this time last year.

She knows she'll have to address complaints and concerns in order to get their permit renewed.

Officials from Riverside County are also set to speak at Thursday night's council meeting about the county is responding to homelessness.