Times Article - Homeless Camp Defended

Homeless camp defended

By Tony Burchyns/Times-Herald staff writer

Posted: 03/04/2009 01:02:18 AM PST

Area homeless advocates Tuesday questioned the Vallejo Police Department's decision to clear out a homeless camp despite a lack of help available to the squatters.

Police acted alone, without contacting service agencies, threatening to arrest dozens of illegal campers for trespassing near the White Slough -- an approach some advocates called "irresponsible."

"There's nowhere for them to go," said George Dix, manager of Vallejo's only emergency shelter, the 65-bed Christian Help Center at 2166 Sacramento St.

"We turn away anywhere from five to 10 people every day."

The number of homeless people living in the camp is estimated at about 50. They were told last week to clear out by Friday.

"As far as what is going to happen to them, that is not a police department function to shelter those people," Vallejo Police Lt. Abel Tenorio said, adding police are not coordinating with groups or churches to place the illegal campers in shelters.

David Grabill, a Sonoma County attorney and housing advocate, said cities that have tried to remove homeless people have lost lawsuits for not providing enough of a safety net.

"If there are adequate shelters available, then I don't think you could fault the city for insisting that homeless people use those shelter beds," Grabill said. "In cities where there aren't enough shelters, when the police do raids on homeless camps, they create more misery on misery."

P.J. Davis, executive director of Community Action Partnership Solano, said she hopes Vallejo and other Solano County cities can do more to devise law-enforcement strategies to deal with homeless people. She said most suffer from mental illness or drug addiction -- or both.

"If all things worked well, as police break up these camps, they would be handing them information on where to go to get help," Davis said.

Some cities, like Santa Rosa, have already taken steps to try to place illegal campers in shelters before booking them into jail.

"It is not a perfect solution, but it is better than nothing," said Georgia Berland, executive director of the Sonoma County Task Force for the Homeless. "The sad thing is, homeless people form communities ... to disrupt them is disrupting a mutual support system. "I don't want to make the police sound bad, but there are ways to do it that are less disrupting to the people and their neighbors as well."

In September, Berland and others met with Santa Rosa city officials, including police, to talk about developing new outreach methods. Now, when police are required to raid a homeless camp, they call Berland's group first.

That kind of coordination is what Davis is pushing for in Solano County. She said she's already worked with Fairfield city officials to devise strategies similar to those in other communities.

"We don't have the answers yet, but we are moving in the right direction," Davis said. "Bring in the police departments ... bridges gaps."

On any given night, Davis said there probably are between 300 and 400 homeless people without shelter in Solano County. Yet there are just 160 emergency shelter beds.

"There are people turned away each day in the winter," Davis said.

Some relief may be on the horizon. Two county shelters, including Vallejo's, got grants to add more beds.

"It looks to me like the numbers of homeless people are rising," Davis said, alluding to the bad economy.

Contact staff writer Tony Burchyns at 553-6831 or tburchyns@thnewsnet.com.