Camping in Fresno will soon be illegal. Where are homeless people supposed to go? | Opinion
The homeless crisis in Fresno must be out of hand.
Hundreds of millions in state and federal dollars over the last five years didn’t solve the problem. Not even close. So the next step – shortly after our elected leaders received the Supreme Court and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blessing – is cracking down on people who sleep or camp outside on public property.
First an inadequate carrot, followed by the unnecessary stick.
The city of Fresno’s ban on homeless camps will take effect in September following Monday’s 7-0 decision by the city council. (A second vote, expected during the Aug. 15 meeting, is required to amend a city ordinance.) Meanwhile, the Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau intends to introduce a similar measure at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
My question today remains the same as it did in 2017 when the Fresno City Council approved a Brandau-sponsored no-camping ordinance that was subsequently shelved by the courts.
Where are the people living in tents on sidewalks, vacant lots, canal banks, strip malls and all those in-between spaces supposed to go?
One place where they won’t be headed is a homeless shelter. Because there isn’t room.
The city of Fresno funds 841 beds for individuals experiencing homelessness, including domestic violence victims, youth, singles, and families. That number has skyrocketed since the pandemic and the conversion of numerous Parkway Drive motels.
Still, the supply has barely kept pace with demand. Phil Skei, an assistant planning director who oversees the city’s homelessness and affordable housing efforts, said those 841 beds are currently full and have been consistently full for the past several years.
“Throughout the day beds are freed up at various shelters resulting from people successfully finding permanent housing, being reunited with family, or entering programs,” Skei said. “In other instances, beds become available when people choose to leave shelter and return to the streets, or when people are exited as a result of shelter staff enforcing shelter rules.”
How many beds become available on a day to day basis? Five on average, Skei said.
At emergency shelters operated by Fresno County, it’s a similar story except there are fewer beds available. The current total is 126, according to figures provided by county officials, and those are at capacity as well.
Keep that in mind the next time a public official tosses out a misleading statistic showing 6.2% of more than 4,000 individuals contacted this year by the city’s Homeless Assistance Response Team “accept services.”
“Everybody’s offered services … so, I think that tells a story,” Fresno interim police chief Mindy Casto told the city council.
Actually it doesn’t. “Services” is not the same thing as a place to sleep out of the elements and harm’s way. More often than not, “services” means speaking with a Poverello House outreach team.
“A lot of people say ‘No’ to services because the (outreach team) was just out here yesterday, and they don’t want to talk to them again,” homeless advocate Dez Martinez said. “Unless there’s a bed – and in most cases there isn’t.”
Is there room in jail?
With a scarcity of shelter space, the options for those facing legal penalties for camping outdoors are limited. The city’s ordinance is punishable up to a year in county jail – or a $1,000 fine no homeless person can afford to pay – but guess what?
There’s hardly room at the jail, either. At least not for people whose only crime is a misdemeanor.
The Fresno County Jail can house 3,291 inmates, according to sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti. However, Botti said capacity will dip by roughly 200 in October when the long-awaited West Annex opens and replaces the outdated South Annex.
As of Tuesday morning, the jail housed 2,345 inmates and has fluctuated this year between 2,000 to 2,700, Botti said.
While those figures may indicate ample space, it’s not so simple. The county jail operates under a federal consent decree that stipulates the sheriff must consider releases once a unit gets 90% full.
In those situations, Botti said, the inmates first considered for early releases are those who commit low-level crimes. Such as pitching a tent on a canal bank.
This isn’t to say Fresno’s homeless should be able to camp, and behave, as they please. The belligerent subset that shoots up drugs outside of schools and community centers, defecates on sidewalks in front of businesses and prevents families from enjoying public playgrounds and parks should not be tolerated. Zero argument.
However, I have a hunch many of those individuals could already be picked up and detained for something other than sleeping outdoors.
Anti-camping ordinances are designed to give off the impression that our elected leaders are serious about addressing the continuing crisis. But with Fresno’s limited shelter beds and jail space, those cited are more than likely to end up back on the streets awaiting the cycle to repeat. (Martinez believes there will be an increase in break-ins of abandoned houses.)
Just another game of ping-pong, except with people.
