Local school kids, Sally’s Fund, Housing and Human Services Committee came a-caroling to 12/12/2022

LAGUNA BEACH, Dec. 12, 2022 –– Holiday cheer arrived on foot last Wednesday when a group of about 30 elementary and middle school children, parents, and members of the city’s Housing and Human Services Committee, Sally’s Fund staffers, and newly elected city councilmember Alex Rounaghi caroled at the Vista Aliso Apartments. The seniors who live in the gated, 71-unit low-income senior housing complex on Wesley Drive waved from their balconies, sang along, and accepted candy canes from youngsters.  

This is the second year in a row the group has sung to the seniors. It was organized by  parents Stacy Anderson and Michelle Cornell. 

Rounaghi, who recently won a seat on city council, will step off as chair of the Housing and Human Services Committee and is expected to be appointed to serve as one of two council liaisons. The second committee liaison is Mayor Pro Tem Bob Whalen. 

Ketta Brown, newly appointed chair of the committee, said, “Our Housing and Human Services group is committed to never forgetting the humanity of those who reside in our subsidized living communities. Caroling for the Vista Aliso residents lets them know that they are held in our hearts and brings us all closer as a community. A city can be judged by how its most vulnerable citizens are treated. In that spirit, Laguna has been charged with creating 394 additional housing units over the next seven years, and 198 of these must be for low-income residents. It’s my sincere hope that our committee can help the city create a vision and action plan that fulfills this charge while educating all Laguna residents of the value and  necessity of having a diverse population that will keep our town the unique, vibrant home it is.”

The Laguna Beach Housing and Human Services Committee is a nine-member volunteer group of residents appointed by the city council to assess and identify housing opportunities and human needs for all segments of the community, especially people who are low-income, elderly, disabled, and unhoused. The city is currently seeking new members of this and other committees. 

Sally's Fund is a nonprofit that offers assisted and escorted door-to-door transportation service to medical and other appointments within a 30-mile radius, food and grocery delivery, and more for Laguna Beach's frail seniors and people with disabilities. It operates through donations and grants with a lean staff and a team of volunteers. sallysfund.org