Aid to Homeless in San Diego County Slashed

County supervisors, forced by a court decision to extend welfare benefits for the homeless, have slashed benefits by 58% for those unable to find promise of lodging after 30 days--on the ground that the chronically homeless do not need money to pay rent and utility bills.

The new rule, which drops benefits from $225 a month to $95, drew outrage and bewilderment from advocates for the poor and homeless, creating the possibility that the Legal Aid Society of San Diego would file another lawsuit to change the situation.

“This is a penalization for being homeless,” said Merkel Harris, director of the Welfare Rights Organization, who called the move an attempt by the supervisors to save money at the expense of the homeless.

“I don’t know where these homeless people can find homes. What is available to them for $130?”

Supervisors and county officials defended the move as an attempt to force the homeless to search for lodging and said that the rules are so lenient that a small effort will insure the receipt of a full welfare payment.

Starting Monday, the homeless will be eligible for benefits every month. But after the first month’s payment, they must show that they will have at least a day’s lodging other than a homeless shelter or their relief payment will be cut by $130 to $95.