Oceanside Soup Kitchen Plans Move; Unwanted Downtown

Brother Benno’s soup kitchen, acclaimed for its compassion for the poor, soon may leave downtown Oceanside, where neighbors have complained that the establishment attracts drunks and loiterers.

The Brother Benno’s Foundation, that has run the eatery in an old house on Minnesota Street since 1983, has applied for a city permit to operate an expanded facility in an industrial area near Oceanside Municipal Airport.

After attempts to move elsewhere downtown failed, the foundation hopes a new location outside downtown will end the criticism and allow Brother Benno’s to grow from a soup kitchen into a place where homeless people also can shower, enjoy a day room and receive counseling.

“They’re not going to be in anybody’s back yard,” said city Housing Director Richard Goodman, who believes that the industrial site is much better than keeping Brother Benno’s downtown, near a blood center, a transit station and county welfare offices.

“For a long time, there’s been concern that too many facilities downtown keep (homeless) people in that area,” he said.

The city Planning Commission will decide later this month whether to grant Brother Benno’s a conditional-use permit for the Production Avenue site, off Mission Avenue.

Volunteers at Brother Benno’s now dish up free dinners to about 225 people a night, but neighbors and city police have claimed that some homeless patrons sleep on private property, burglarize and litter.

The foundation has explored moving into other neighborhoods, but opposition has kept Brother Benno’s out.

Ted Lundquist, a soup kitchen volunteer and a foundation member, believes the proposed site on Production Avenue will improve the situation.

First, dinner no longer will be served because “there’s more of a problem with alcohol at the evening meal.” Instead, Brother Benno’s, starting in October if the city permit is approved, will provide breakfast and a sack lunch.

Hours of operation are expected to be roughly 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closing earlier than it does now to dissuade patrons from loitering in the area after they’ve eaten, showered or used the day room.

Initially, Brother Benno’s only will offer meals. Lundquist isn’t sure when the additional services, including job and education counseling, will begin.

According to Goodman, “there is some opposition” to Brother Benno’s relocation plans, but “not nearly as strong” as before, when the foundation sought to move into residential areas.

The most vocal opponents are the owners of Marty’s Valley Inn on Mission Avenue, where Marty Schroder Jr. is concerned that Brother Benno’s patrons will trespass and disturb the guests.

“Where are they going to go? They’re going to be in my hotel, in my garbage rack,” he said.

Schroder said some homeless people already have caused trouble at the inn, which recently underwent a $1.5-million renovation.

“Would you want a bunch of homeless people trampling on your front doorstep?” he asked.

However, Lundquist said an “unenlightened attitude” is behind the fear of the people served by Brother Benno’s.

He said many patrons are women, children and working men who are too poor to afford food. “We’re not just there for the street homeless,” he said.

Goodman said he will try to meet with the Schroders to discuss their concerns.