What homelessness solutions do Fresno City Council District 5 candidates favor?
Expanding shelter capacity, stronger coordination between the city and county and 3D printing affordable homes are a few of the ideas Fresno City Council District 5 candidates pitch to address the city’s unhoused community and reimagine a largely ineffective anti-camping ordinance meant to divert the chronically homeless into treatment.
The Bee recently asked each of the District 5 Fresno City Council candidates in the June 2 primary election to answer a series of questions related to their campaign and positions on local issues, including homelessness. We also hosted a series of candidate forums and recorded them. Those videos, including one focused on how the candidates answered the homeless policy question, are posted at fresnobee.com.
District 5 encompasses a large portion of southeast Fresno, including neighborhoods like Sunnyside, Roosevelt, and Fancher Creek.
Fresno City Councilman Brandon Vang is set to face three challengers in his reelection bid: State Center Community College Trustee Danielle Parra, entrepreneur Nickolas Wildstar and former Fresno County Director of Economic Development Jose Leon Barraza.
Read The Bee’s Fresno City Council District 5 voter guide here.
Here’s what homelessness solutions Fresno City Council District 5 candidates favor, in alphabetical order
Jose Leon Barraza
“The homelessness crisis is a complex regional problem that involves the presence of unhoused individuals who live in front of business locations and some public and private areas despite city rules that prohibit them from sleeping on benches and other public property. The causes are multiple as they can relate to alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, poverty, lack of work skills and a critical shortage of affordable housing.
The solution needs to entail greater cooperation between all levels of government, city, county, state, federal, nonprofit organizations and community groups.
The services and programs I would support include more emergency and permanent shelters and navigation assistance centers with case management, with access to social services in mental health, and medical health services, drug addiction treatment, transition assistance to job training and placement with the objective of making members of the homeless population more self-dependent.”
Danielle Parra
“Fresno’s homelessness crisis requires a coordinated approach that focuses on both immediate needs and long-term solutions. We need to expand shelter capacity, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing, but we also need to be honest about how state and federal funding is being distributed. Significant resources are available, yet those dollars are not always reaching our city in the most effective or timely way.
That is why stronger coordination with the county is critical. We need better alignment between the city, county, and service providers to ensure funding for shelters, mental health services, and addiction treatment is actually reaching the people who need it. Fresno cannot solve this alone. We must work together to create a more responsive system that moves people off the streets and into stable housing.”
Brandon Vang (incumbent)
“Fresno’s homelessness crisis requires urgent, coordinated action that is both compassionate and results-driven. We must expand access to shelter and transitional housing so no one is left without a safe place to go, while increasing permanent supportive housing for those facing mental health and substance use challenges.
We should also fully utilize California’s CARE Court system to connect individuals struggling with severe mental illness to treatment and supportive services before they end up cycling through jails or emergency rooms. At the same time, we need stronger investment in mental health care, addiction treatment, and job training to help people achieve long-term stability. Housing alone is not enough.
Finally, we must improve coordination across agencies and maintain safe, clean neighborhoods through a balanced approach of outreach, services, and accountability.”
Nickolas Wildstar
“California has wasted over $24 billion of taxpayers money with little to show for it. Fresno is no exception by having 5,000 or more people that are still homeless despite the tens of millions of dollars being used to supposedly remedy the situation.
Soon the city will be receiving Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention funds from the state to the tune of $10.5 Million. My proposal is to use a portion of that money to build a 3D printed home manufacturing facility in Southeast Fresno. Doing so would give the city the capability to build homes using 3D printing technology, which is quicker and more efficient than typical affordable housing projects. The facility would not only provide state-of-the-art housing for those in need, but would also provide jobs and new technological training at the same time by building affordable 3D printed homes right here in Fresno.”