The City Finally Gets It Regarding the Homeless Situation
by John Lawrence
San Diego has spent millions on the homeless problem and the result is that it's only getting worse. More people each month are becoming unhoused than are becoming housed. On March 16, the San Diego Union reported:
"With downtown homeless encampments in his district surging in recent months, San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn on Thursday announced he will propose an ordinance banning tents and makeshift structures on public property.
“We’ve heard too many stories of people camping on our streets who have been randomly attacked, stabbed to death or even set on fire,” Whitburn said. “These encampments are unsafe. They are also a danger to our neighborhoods.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined Whitburn in the announcement and said he supports the proposal and would urge the full City Council to approve it."
The idea is that the city would provide safe places off the city public streets and sidewalks for homeless people to stay combined with an ordinance that would not allow them to pitch their tents on public sidewalks and other public areas. I have long advocated here and here and here that the city make safe camping areas and safe parking areas available in addition to shelters so that homeless people could pitch their tents there making the public sidewalks safe for ordinary citizens and businesses. In addition these safe outdoors areas would have rest portable rest rooms and other amenities which would make the areas more palatable and hygeinic. Shelters are expensive to build. Making available city owned vacant lots are not. Most homeless these days have their own tents and most have bicycles, cell phones and a few other self provided amenities. They just need a safe place to be, and that the city can provide at very little expense. The city is finally coming around to that conclusion! It makes the lives of the homeless marginally better, and makes the streets a whole lot better for pedestrians and businesses not to mention more attractive to tourists, one of San Diego's major industries.
"[Mayor] Gloria said the new local ordinance would get tough on people who refuse to accept help or move their tents, but still would take a compassionate and progressive enforcement approach. People camping in public places, including canyons and sidewalks, would be offered a shelter bed and only cited or arrested after multiple contacts with law enforcement.
"Gloria and Whitburn also said the city is planning to open another safe parking lot in the near future and is looking for a location for its first safe campground."[!]
Finally! Here's what I wrote on November 20, 2022:
"Recently Governor Newsom held up state homeless funds because cities were not getting the job done. Here's a solution: provide campgrounds and safe parking areas in addition to shelters and affordable housing units. In other words to all of the above present so-called solutions add safe campgrounds and parking areas. The beauty of this plan is that it would add minimum cost to all the other solutions. So while they are pursuing the more costly solutions, it would at least get the homeless off the public streets where they are interfering with pedestrian thoroughfares and businesses in general, and would provide them with an an enhanced version of their present living accommodations which are mainly in tents. It would also be more safe and sanitary. They would still be mainly in tents until more robust and expensive solutions can be found but at least they could be provided with portable toilets, showers and dumpster facilities as well as security. In addition social services could be more readily provided than the present solution of finding them on the public streets to offer them. What is wrong with these politicians? They could solve the homeless "problem" tomorrow at little or no expense as far as getting the homeless off public streets which is at least half the problem. The city owns a lot of vacant lots suitable for rural campsites and safe parking areas for those with vehicles. Portable rest room facilities could make the lot of the homeless and ordinary citizens immeasurably better if they would only use them.
Here's what I wrote on August 11, 2021:
So here is my solution, and then I'll tell you why it will never be implemented. Set aside land for free campgrounds just as a city sets aside land for parks. These should be open to all people not just the "homeless" at some snapshot in time. The financial savings from not building lumber and concrete housing would be immense. These campgrounds should have basic services like rest room facilities and showers. Also trash collection and security. The homeless can provide their own tents as they already have which are strewn all over public sidewalks. This solution accomplishes two very important goals: 1) it provides a marginally better lifestyle for the homeless with much better sanitary conditions and 2) it gets the homeless off the streets and sidewalks letting the general public feel safe in using them again. The money saved in police and hospital resources would probably more than pay for the minimal services provided. In addition social worker services in terms of mental health, drug counseling and job search might be provided as they say they want to provide today.
I'm looking forward to safe and hygienic public city streets in San Diego, and as an Uber driver, not having to apologize to tourists about the homeless problem!
NEWSFLASH: from Voice of San Diego:
More on housing: Newsom also said he will provide 1,200 tiny homes to jurisdictions across the state — including 500 in Los Angeles, 150 in San Diego County, 200 in San Jose and 350 in Sacramento — to be used as a temporary housing option for people immediately leaving the streets. He has tapped the National Guard to help deliver the units.
