Troy and Sweetwater. "Why put a homeless encampment in such a small town with limited space?"

The county's tiny home rollout is rolling. Opponents of a proposal to set up 150 sleeping cabins for the homeless in Spring Valley have helped get the location shifted four miles west to Lemon Grove.

Although it's been downsized to 60-70 cabins, there are already signs of protest on social media, suggesting even Troy Street and Sweetwater Road, an empty lot amid a tangle of busy roads, could meet the same fate.

"Don't think Tiny Homes are any better suited to LG than Spring Valley," a Facebook post reads. Another: "Why put a homeless encampment in such a small town with limited space."

Whether the community will support it remains to be seen.

Lemon Grove, however, has twice the homeless count as Spring Valley. The small city had 300 unsheltered people to Spring Valley's 129, according to the point in time count.

In March, the county board of supervisors voted to accept ten million dollars in state funding for the tiny homes, settling on the Spring Valley project, which they now say should have been better vetted with the neighborhood.

Neighbors were so opposed, supervisors (except Terra-Lawson Remer), spurred by board chairwoman Nora Vargas, voted to rescind the plan. "Addressing the homeless crisis is a shared responsibility that should not be taken on alone by any one community," Vargas said.

This time, officials promise to engage "fully, completely and on a continual basis with those who are most impacted in the neighboring areas," as Monica Montgomery-Steppe, who put forward the alternative site and downsized the project, said.

If the cabins are approved for Troy Street, the site will likely have 24/7 security and management; maintenance and cleaning; onsite case managers to assist with housing navigation services and behavioral health assessments.

Who are the unsheltered? Montgomery-Steppe said she agreed with Lemon Grove Councilmember, Alysson Snow, that some are employed but can no longer afford rent. "That population is truly rising." There are also many people on the street "who have given up on these systems."

One city that has had some success with a tiny home program is Chula Vista, which opened its first homeless bridge shelter in 2023, placing 65 tiny homes on a lot in the western part of the city and providing support services. 

It's still uncertain if the $10 million dollars from the state will even be available, now the county has backed out of the first location.

In a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, Montgomery-Steppe asked that the county be allowed to keep the funding "to be allocated towards Safe Sleeping Cabins at an alternative site" on Troy Street — a location supported by elected leaders in Lemon Grove.

Whether the community will support it remains to be seen. County supervisors will return July 16 with recommendations for alternative sites in Spring Valley and surrounding communities, including an analysis of feasibility, cost and timeline to develop the Troy Street site.

A community forum will be held July 18 at 6 pm at the Lemon Grove Community Center. A survey has been posted for feedback on the plan. 

A spokesperson at city hall says it's not something the city is doing. The tiny home site hasn't been approved, she said. "This is being held by Montgomery Steppe but the city has no other information."