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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
22 Wednesday, January 3, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon ‘Don’t pelp tpe pomeless,’ critics say — it purts tpem By Amy Taxin and Geoff Mulvihill Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mohammed Aly does not see any reason why he shouldn’t try to ease the lives of Orange County’s home- less. But the authorities — and many of his neighbors — disagree. Aly, a 28-year-old lawyer and activist, has been arrested three times as he campaigned on behalf of street people. Recently, he was denied per- mission to install portable toilets on a dried-up riverbed, site of an encampment of roughly 400 homeless. “Put yourself in their posi- tion: Would you want a toilet, or would you not want a toi- let?” he asked. “It is a ques- tion of basic empathy.” But his detractors — engaged in a dispute that rages up and down America’s West Coast, as the region struggles to cope with a rising tide of homelessness — say Aly and other do-gooders are doing more harm than good. However well-meaning, crit- ics say, those who provide the homeless with tents and tarps, showers and toilets, hot meals and pet food, are enabling them to remain unsheltered. And not coincidentally, they note, nuisances of home- lessness like trash and unsan- itary conditions fester and aberrant behavior continues. In California, the San Diego County community of El Cajon passed a mea- sure that curtails feeding the homeless, citing health con- cerns. In Los Angeles, city officials have closed and re- opened restrooms for those on Skid Row amid similar controversies. The issue is hotly debated across Orange County, a cluster of suburbs and small cities known more for surf culture and Disneyland than its legions of poor. In the tony seaside enclave of Dana Point, neighbors fear a nightly meal is drawing homeless to a popular state beach where teens play beach volleyball and families picnic and surf. On the dusty riverbed 30 miles (48 kilometers) north, a van furnished with shower stalls parks alongside the homeless encampment; those living in the string of tattered tents add their names to a list of dozens waiting to bathe. While the mobile unit aims to help those living on the trash- strewn strip, neighbors worry the 2-mile-long (3-kilometer- long) encampment is becom- ing more entrenched in an area where they once jogged and biked. “If the ultimate goal is to get them under a roof, why on Earth are you giving all the advantages you would have under a roof on the riverbed?” asked Shaun Dove, a 46-year- old soon-to-be retired police- man from Anaheim, who lives less than a mile from the riverbed in a palm-tree-lined neighborhood of three-bed- room homes. “There’s no doubt that giv- ing them stuff there prevents them from a desire to move.” The number of homeless living in Orange County has climbed 8 percent over the last two years. In the United States, homelessness rose slightly in the last year to nearly 554,000, pushed up largely by increases on the West Coast, federal data shows. The increase is driven by soaring housing costs, though a drug-addiction cri- sis and need for mental-health services are also factors. Advocates say the home- less population has become more visible as police have cracked down on rules bar- ring camping, driving people from parks and bus benches to a few centralized locations, such as the flood control channel along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim. Everybody knows that the only solution is more hous- ing; there aren’t enough beds available in a county where the median home price hov- ers near $700,000. Until there are, many well-meaning resi- dents want to try to alleviate what they feel is a humani- tarian crisis by bringing food and other assistance to the homeless. In a small community like Dana Point, there is no shel- ter. The nightly meals began more than two decades ago at local churches but were moved to Doheny State Beach after a late-night stab- bing between two homeless residents. The picturesque city on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean is known for its mil- lion-dollar homes and scenic harbor. But homeless have long been drawn to Dana Point and other beach com- munities which offer public access and wide open spaces — and the beauty and sun- shine that lure so many peo- ple to California’s shores. In the late afternoon, vol- unteers arrive at the beach parking lot with folding tables and trays of chicken or beef or fish and fruit. They often also hand out a sack lunch for the next day to several dozen homeless, day laborers and poor who line up to eat after bowing their heads in a brief prayer. The homeless say as much as they appreciate it, the food isn’t keeping them on the streets. Gholamreza Haghighi, 59, said he has been sleeping in the nearby brush for more than two decades — well before meals were served there — and has nowhere else to go. Jose Luis Gonzalez, 60, said he has been living in his motor home since split- ting with his wife and some- times stops by the suppers to see friends and have a meal. Another homeless man who refused to give his name said he heads there simply to eat. “I come here because it’s a Band-Aid,” the 55-year- old said. “It doesn’t help me tomorrow. It doesn’t. But it helps me today.” Volunteers say the home- less are drawn to the beaches because of the open space and access to water and restrooms — not the meals. They feel that feeding people can build trust and lead the homeless to additional services, including housing. “We understand that some residents and business owners in Dana Point are experienc- ing problems with the home- less. We are adamant, though, and disagree with the fact that we are contributing to the problem,” said Chris Phillips, who helps lead the volunteer network known as Welcome INN. Tell that to Brian Brandt, a 55-year-old lawyer. He jogs at the state beach and takes his six children there to surf, but these days he doesn’t let them go on their own. He said he’s seen volatile outbursts among the homeless and fre- quent police calls and wishes volunteers would stop offer- ing meals at a place meant for community recreation. “I don’t want to be seen as a bad guy — ‘OK, look at this heartless dude,’” he said. “I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel like my kids are safe.” Resident Toni Nelson, who helped start a local neighbor- hood group, is critical of the meal service but is looking for solutions. She has joined with housing advocates to try to raise money to house the homeless who have ties to the tight-knit community. If about a third of the city’s 33,000 residents chip in $68, they figure they can house 46 homeless people identified in a recent survey for up to a year. So far, dozens of people have signed up to give. But they still have a long way to go. Robert Marbut, a consul- tant to communities on home- lessness, believes it’s mis- guided to provide housing or other services without heavy incentives for recipients to be in treatment programs for mental-health problems, addiction or other issues. “Anytime you give out services without treatment,” Marbut said, “that’s enabling, See HOMELESS on page 30 attention Health practitioners Trainers, Yoga Teachers, Reiki Masters and more: Consider the Nugget’s Classes & Training classifi eds to let readers know about your sessions. Just $2 per line the fi rst week , $1.50 per line on repeat weeks. SPRD BOARD: Applications due January 18 And it goes online at no extra charge! Continued from page 3 which will be held in May 2019. This is a volunteer position. To apply, fill out the board member application form, which can be found at www. sistersrecreation.com/board- meetings. Applications must be received by Thursday, January 18. For more information contact SPRD Executive Director Liam Hughes at 541-549-2091 or liam@ sistersrecreation.com. Placement deadline is Monday before noon at 541-549-9941 or nuggetnews.com. 75% off storewide! Hurry! Limited to in-store stock! Dept. 56 Xmas Villages • Designer Purses Jewelry • Kitchen • Home Decor & More Excludes OTC & Rx S ISTERS D RUG & G IFT 211 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-6221
