‘Safe camp’ for unhoused residents in Fresno shuts down. What happened and what’s next
For more than a year, homeless advocate Dez Martinez operated a camp for unhoused Fresnans that “provided safety, comfort, warmth, love, and compassion for individuals on the street.”
At its peak, 32 people called the camp home. Martinez hosted weekly meetings to solve any issues at the camp that also had a medical tent and a garden. Martinez worked it out so leftover meals from the Poverello House were delivered daily, and staff with Kings View regularly delivered mental health services at the camp. The camp had a portable bathroom, a generator, and a WiFi hotspot for children to do their online homework.
Her facility was located on state property, so city officials couldn’t do much about it, much to the ire of some city councilmembers.
But about a month ago, Martinez decided to close the “Dream Camp” because she said it became too excruciating — physically and mentally — to continue without resources from the city or elsewhere, despite several requests and promises she said never materialized.
“It’s hard when they’re against you when you’re doing something amazing for the community,” Martinez said.
The camp was funded and operated 100% through donations and volunteers through Martinez’s nonprofit We are Not Invisible Fresno.
Martinez and the people staying at the “safe camp” faced what she described as ongoing harassment from everyone from code enforcement and fire marshals to police officers and prosecutors.
Martinez said she managed to help get over a dozen people into shelters, including at least one family. Other people staying in her camp chose not to go.
No matter what, Martinez said she knows she did good through operating the camp. And, it was a beautiful place, she said.
“People don’t understand when I say that the unhoused world is beautiful,” she said. “What I mean is we are all the same. Nothing exists — color, race, religion — does not exist to us. I think it’s the way that the Creator wanted the world to be. No matter who you were, what you look like, the color of your skin, or what you praise, we all should help each other. And that’s what I see in the homeless community. They all work to help each other.”
Martinez, who was formerly homeless, has been critical of the way people living on Fresno’s streets are treated and served.
H Spees, who serves as the director of housing and social services for Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration, said Martinez and the camp were a voice for the issue of homelessness.
“To me, that camp and Dez represent a very important voice, and, you know, sometimes the voice is more important than the practice,” Spees said. “It was a means by which Dez could put into practice some of the concerns that she had.”
Moving forward, Spees and Dyer are getting ready to launch a new effort to house people living near canals, railroads, and private properties. The Homeless Assistance Response Team is poised to grow with the addition of 10 new staffers, and the city soon will invest millions to purchase facilities for short-term shelters that will then be converted to permanent, affordable housing.
“Everybody’s all hands on deck,” Spees said. “The mayor is passionate about this in terms of seeing people being given a chance at a new future.”