What is the solution to homelessness?
I can tell you that clearing out encampments isn’t a solution—it’s just temporary relief for the housed population that can’t deal with the problems that come with an unwanted gathering of people who have nowhere else to go. These include environmental issues that stem from trash and human waste, fire hazards that come from cooking and trying to stay warm, and illicit substances and all the associated unpleasantness that can result from being around and using drugs. All are very serious issues that threaten public safety.
And cities are cracking down. The city of Santa Maria has cleared out a few encampments in recent weeks, and Lompoc isn’t far behind, with its sights set on a big problem spot in the city.
Lompoc Police Capt. Kevin Martin said the upcoming clear-out “isn’t just about ‘get out of this area and move someplace else.’ We’re going to work hard to get them the help that they need.” The list should be familiar if you’ve ever read anything about clear-outs: advance notice to vacate, info on temporary housing and social services, an offer to store belongings for up to 90 days.
It’s always the same.
City Coucilmember Jeremy Ball said he visited the sites in question and “was mortified, shocked. Not only did we actually meet real people that are dealing with some really severe issues, but there’s rampant crime going on.”
Wow, real people! Really severe issues!
I’m not sure I’d be shocked that those living outside of the bounds of society are dealing with problems the rest of us turn a blind eye to. But I don’t think that fencing people out of city-owned properties, which is what Lompoc is planning to do, is going to fix homelessness.
Ball also acknowledged that but added that the move will “hopefully chip away at what has been a really traumatic situation here in Lompoc.”
Trauma is an interesting way to couch society and those it’s failed, facing off against one another.
I think what’s really traumatic is how ill-suited solutions like “connecting people with services” can be for a lot of the people who are cleared out of encampments because they are on the move and are often service-resistant. Santa Rosa took a different tack during the pandemic, moving an unwanted encampment to a city-sanctioned encampment, where the city and nonprofits could try to connect people with services in a somewhat stable environment, which one city official said attracted service- and shelter-resistant populations and reduced the impacts of unsanctioned encampments.
But even solutions like that are temporary. Santa Rosa isn’t running a sanctioned encampment any longer, and if you look at what happened in Sausalito, where a tent fire exploded into a propane-tank-fueled inferno, city-run camps have their own sets of problems. So what’s the solution?
We have to try new things. Playing musical chairs with encampments isn’t getting us anywhere. In fact we are just throwing money at a problem that won’t go away. And no matter where you fall politically, we should all agree that it’s time for new things. Because constantly clearing out encampments, attempting to connect people with services, and saying that we tried isn’t good enough.
The canary is ready for innovation. Send thoughts to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 14-21, 2022.
