And it's definitely truth that anyone who has spent any time at all in a homeless encampment knows that there can indeed be issues with sanitation, human waste, criminal concealment, etc. Those things often do happen, especially when camps are first established, and to deny or gloss over them I think does a disservice to the population of the camp. Trivializing or minimizing these "concerns" can often seed the minds of those in favor of closure with the idea we're not being honest about the reality and therefore, are not to be trusted.
It's exactly the same mentality we advocates bring to the table when we hear officials trot out the claims to close the camp in the first place, yes?
The good news for advocates is that in each of the rationales punted out by officials, it doesn't take much to remedy the problems if the people who can assist with the necessary resources are both inclined and committed to providing some solutions.
Addressing the physical, logistical and environmental challenges involved with an operating camp has been going on for as long as people have been gathering in groups for survival and there is a sort of primal recognition about what needs to be done in a camp by most of its residents almost from the start.
The majority of those who work to assist the homeless recognize the importance of addressing the Maslovian shelter need, no doubt. But I think they understand one additional important aspect of encampments that seems to often escape those clamoring for their closures.
The fact is, in many cities, Nashville included, a functioning, coordinated, and maintained Tent City - especially one set up like the Camp that washed away during the historic flood of 2010 - is about the closest the city comes to a real Housing First program.
Outreach specialists, social workers, food-service providers, even police (although they don't often publicly admit it) know well that having folks in one area makes finding and accessing them to provide services and protection a helluva lot easier than when folks are scattered and hiding out of fear of persecution, attacks, mental illness or any one of a hundred and one other reasons folks on the street keep low profiles.
Furthermore, it assists the homeless community as well because there is an alternative available to those who, for whatever their personal reason - and there can be a large number of those reasons which are just as valid (and often more so) than the rationales put forth by officials when arguing to close encampments - will not use available sanctioned shelters. There is also the "adjustment" factor that living in a communal camp provides, and this is a critically important component in preparing an individual for a return to larger society, especially if the odds are high that the individual, when he/she does obtain housing, will end up in "multiple-dwelling" rather than a "scattered site" unit (an apartment complex versus a house/mobile home).
By exposing the person experiencing homelessness to "community" rules, operating within a group of people to care for both personal and communal needs and responsibilities, conflict management, becoming used to having people around again, etc., the groundwork is being laid for the transfer and introduction into another community. Talk to anyone who places persons experiencing homelessness into housing after that person has been on the bricks for an extended period and they'll just about all tell you that they start with the most basic of things; how to wash a dish, clean a toilet, treat a neighbor, vacuum a floor, cook a can of soup, etc. It takes a lot of peer support to help a person re-enter mainstream life.
But honestly - and herein lies the crux of this post - this whole discussion around justifications for and against homeless encampments are really just distractions from the overarching issue about skewed priorities that cause us as a community to argue for a homeless encampment at all.
One would think that, given our repeated rhetoric around America as a "compassionate, moral example" for the rest of the world, that the argument should be laser-focused on how to end homelessness rather than manage populations of folks trapped on the streets. Areas needing intense focus include increasing the interest of developers in building affordable housing, helping low income families remain housed while increasing their earning potential, and helping those who want employment but are in no position to even begin the process (address, working phone, transportation, small buffer cash amount to eat for those first 3 weeks while they await their initial paychecks) overcome the myriad barriers in front of them in order to accept and keep a job once they get one. For those who cannot work, the focus should be on how best to support them while ensuring they remain connected and living as vibrant and rich a life in our community as possible.
It's really about us as a people not becoming so distracted by the urgency of the immediate needs of those on our streets that we fail to address the systemic problems causing people to end up on the street in the first place.
So the next time someone starts telling you why a camp should be closed or remain open, ask the bigger question:
"What is it about our community that forces us to "need" a camp in the first place?
Fresno homeless camp gets temporary reprieve from demolition
A Fresno homeless camp scheduled for demolition has been spared -- at least for a while.Bulldozers, dump trucks, city officials in suit jackets and Caltrans workers in orange vests gathered Thursday at the last remaining downtown homeless encampment after a month of city sweeps.
Assistant City Manager Bruce Rudd told workers to remove shacks under an abandoned overpass but not to disturb Ray Polk's encampment, which officials said could stay until the actual demolition of the overpass begins, probably in March.
Polk, a former appliance repairman who ended up on the streets 22 years ago, has for several years run a one-man social agency out of his encampment. He distributes food and clothes donated by local churches and individuals. He also has a "counseling station" open 24 hours a day.
"I give them my ear to hear what they have to say. Sometimes that's what people need most: somebody hearing what they're saying," Polk told The Times in March.
Polk also has made a memorial to homeless people who died on these streets. Marsel Bufford, 55, said the names of his girlfriend and infant daughter -- Gail Smothers, 37, and Gail Loretta Smith, who lived 14 hours -- were the latest additions to the memorial. On Thursday, Bufford warmed his hands over a fire in an oil drum on Polk's place as other homeless people dragged mattresses and cooking utensils from makeshift shacks.
"When they died it was like I was just turned upside down; like someone hung me up by my feet and shook me," he said. "I go to the memorial everyday."
A homeless woman hollered at Bufford that he needed to move his mattress before workers destroyed it.
"I don't have anywhere to go," he said. "Where am I going to take it?"
In 2008 the city of Fresno settled a lawsuit over the destruction without warning of homeless people's property. This time the city posted eviction notices and helped some people into housing. City officials said they identified 140 available places through social agencies. Estimates of the number of people who lived in the makeshift homeless communities range from 500 and 1,000.
Polk said he is thankful for the reprieve.
"It's the coldest time of the year. And all these people's shelters are gone," he said. "It's a blessing I can be here at the darkest time."
ALSO:
New ordinance would end artistic mural ban in L.A.
LAPD commanders' personal information posted on website
'MythBusters' misfire sends cannonball through neighborhood
-- Diana Marcum in Fresno
Photo: Ray Polk and Marsel Bufford warm their hands over a fire during demolition of homeless encampment. Credit: Diana Marcum / Los Angeles Times
"When they died it was like I was just turned upside down; like someone hung me up by my feet and shook me," he said. "I go to the memorial everyday."
A homeless woman hollered at Bufford that he needed to move his mattress before workers destroyed it.
"I don't have anywhere to go," he said. "Where am I going to take it?"
In 2008 the city of Fresno settled a lawsuit over the destruction without warning of homeless people's property. This time the city posted eviction notices and helped some people into housing. City officials said they identified 140 available places through social agencies. Estimates of the number of people who lived in the makeshift homeless communities range from 500 and 1,000.
Polk said he is thankful for the reprieve.
"It's the coldest time of the year. And all these people's shelters are gone," he said. "It's a blessing I can be here at the darkest time."
ALSO:
New ordinance would end artistic mural ban in L.A.
LAPD commanders' personal information posted on website
'MythBusters' misfire sends cannonball through neighborhood
-- Diana Marcum in Fresno
Photo: Ray Polk and Marsel Bufford warm their hands over a fire during demolition of homeless encampment. Credit: Diana Marcum / Los Angeles Times
