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August 23, 2024
Public Statement on The Gathering Inn's Recent Facility Acquisition in Lincoln
As announced by the City of Lincoln in a press release, The Gathering Inn (TGI) recently acquired a building in Lincoln for use as a medical respite facility for homeless individuals. Here’s what I know:
- With state funding, TGI acquired the property without any prior communication to the city or community.
- TGI informed me of their plans in confidence, citing the seller's concerns about employee safety and potential controversy. As part of this verbal disclosure, I was assured that TGI was operating in good faith and had an outreach plan in place to notify city leadership and the public under the assumption that it would be communicated before advancing the project.
- I was deeply disappointed and troubled when I learned that this communication plan was not initiated until after the property purchase was finalized.
This has caused incredible harm to any existing relationship between TGI and the City of Lincoln, two entities who care deeply about serving their community. As local jurisdictions, it’s crucial that we work together collaboratively and transparently. In fact, the City of Lincoln has been successfully working on the homelessness issue in its jurisdiction, and should be applauded for the strides they’ve made in changing lives in our community. It would have been in the best interest of all involved for TGI to work alongside them in a shared goal, instead of in secret.
While it is appalling that California state law overpoweringly prohibits the city from requiring a public process for a project such as this, I do believe the city should have been afforded every opportunity to provide their input and have a voice in the discussions taking place.
Moving forward, as the County Supervisor representing the City of Lincoln and its residents at the county level, I will do my best to advocate for the city and its residents through this process to ensure full transparency and community engagement. Addressing potential increases in public safety calls and concerns about the proximity to schools are a top priority. The City has my full support as they navigate through this unfortunate situation created by TGI’s lack of communication with Lincoln.
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