An Open Letter to the Chico City Council Regarding Solutions for Homelessness
Note: to view the remaining Homeless Solutions Ad Hoc Committee Meetings, go to this page for details and log on information.
We also encourage you to reach out to the council and express your concerns. Send an Email
Dear Councilmembers-
The first few Homeless Solutions Ad Hoc meetings have left us guardedly optimistic. The council appears to be on the right track and earnestly seeking real solutions.
Service providers indicated they are willing to step up in a variety of ways. We appreciated their candor and willingness to look for additional areas where they could contribute to solutions. Caring Choices in particular is uniquely positioned to manage a campground in conjunction with the recent grant to temporarily house people in motels, while providing case management and housing navigation to get people off the streets.
The meeting of the conservative-oriented group offered some constructive input. They noted some important needs for a successful legal campground, like bathrooms, showers, potable water, storage and of course, supportive services. These are things we can all agree are important.
Here are our hopes for the time that remains:
Set aside preconceptions and eschew self-interest. There is bigger game afoot. Act in good faith.
Don’t make this politics as usual; this isn’t a partisan issue, nor is it unique to Chico. It’s a national issue that, sooner or later, most communities are going to have to come to terms with.
Don’t commit precious resources to something that is intended to provide only the bare minimum to satisfy the judge and plaintiffs. That type of strategy will be costly, ineffective, and sooner or later land the city back in court.
Don’t create a “solution” that is really a mask for an intention to continue to punish people for being on the streets in an effort to drive them from our community. There is a shelter crisis and we must finally act.
A sanctioned campground is the obvious first step; it can be made operational swiftly and serve to diminish pressure on shared resources in other areas in the community. A campground and safe parking are safe and effective transitional solutions.
By all means, hold our collective feet to the fire. Many service providers and concerned citizens have said this can be done safely, effectively, and can even be an asset to the community. Expect it. Demand it. Plan now for a follow up after 1 year to reassess.
There will be missteps. Expect that too. Don’t rake people and organizations who are earnestly working on solutions over the coals when something goes wrong. It will. Instead, keep the conversation going. Be direct about the issue, ask how it can be fixed, and keep moving forward.
We can address community concerns while treating people humanely.
We can have the clean, safe, and beautiful community we all treasure while working to solve these problems.
This is a chance for our community to finally come together around real solutions. Whether the reason is something you would have chosen or not, we now have a unique and compelling opportunity to get this right. We CAN get this right.
Let’s work together to protect the parks, greenways and quality of life we already love about Chico, while living up to our shared values of justice, kindness, equality and opportunity for all of our citizens.
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