Summer homeless shuffle reiterates need for permanent
shelter
The county’s homeless population has nowhere to go when the
seasonal shelter closes, and enforcement over a makeshift camp site
that recently cropped up off of San Felipe Road underscores the
need and financial difficulty of opening a year-round facility.
Summer homeless shuffle reiterates need for permanent shelter
The county’s homeless population has nowhere to go when the seasonal shelter closes, and enforcement over a makeshift camp site that recently cropped up off of San Felipe Road underscores the need and financial difficulty of opening a year-round facility.
A group of homeless residents had been camping out in a lot behind Jerry’s Restaurant, situated near a site they also had claimed for a time last summer. Other homeless camp sites over the years have shown up in such areas as on Park Hill and at the cemetery on Southside Road. At the location near Jerry’s, city authorities recently gave the legally required 30 days notice to have the residents off the property, after the tall grass and weeds there had been cut down to provoke them to move.
It is an unfortunate spot for city and police officials, while it is best for all involved to use a certain level of discretion and aggressiveness in enforcing such trespassing. If an owner or neighbor complains, then it is incumbent upon authorities to act, and in a prompt manner. But without such a complaint, with a presumption that property owners and neighbors are OK with their presence for the time being, local authorities should keep their focus on other, more-pressing problems.
While the camp sites usually involve very few people, they are, without a doubt, a communitywide issue.
And it comes back to the fact that San Benito County’s homeless shelter is open just four or so months a year due to limited funding and lack of a permanent facility. Until the ever-dedicated homeless coalition can gain the necessary funding – and it doesn’t appear likely for a few years at least – the community will have to deal with the nomadic nature of a homeless population that inherently will find more comfort in staying put for a while, now and then at least.
City officials acted to prompt their removal from the Jerry’s site, and authorities must do so when the problems are brought to their attention. Ignoring complaints is not only negligent to the taxpayers who fund their salaries, but it also would open up the local governments to unnecessary liability.
If nobody is complaining, though, and if the homeless residents aren’t causing any trouble, it is best to spend the community’s limited resources on other matters.
