SAN DIEGO (KOGO) - Mixed reactions coming in after Mayor Todd Gloria announced plans to repurpose the old downtown library into a homeless shelter.
The old library building on E Street closed in 2013 and it has been a site for homeless camps since then. Drew Moser of the Lucky Duck Foundation told NBC 7 there's no reason the old building can't be used to provide housing to those living on the streets.
"It can be really easy to say ‘No it can’t be done.’ But when you do that, you’re essentially saying, "You know what? It’s better that people just live on the streets and suffer out here,'” said Moser.
Downtown residents say there's already enough shelters in the area and the city needs to work on real solutions for the homeless crisis. There's also a legal snag: a grant deed from 1899 says the land can only be used for a public library or reading room. The city has asked a judge to rule on the land use restriction.