Why Do the Homeless Come Here?
Homelessness is not a new issue, but it is one that has been a particular focus amount in Chico in recent years, particularly on the back of significant events such as the collapse of the Oroville Dam and the Camp Fire. From Letters to the Editor to the formation of social media soapboxes, Chico’s populace is inarguably clear: the city, as a whole, is concerned about the homelessness issue. Here at Stand Up for Chico, we share those concerns. As individuals committed to the wellbeing of a shared community, we always have choices available to us to exacerbate the problem, or to contribute to the solution and forward progress. At Stand Up for Chico, we recognize that setting the record straight is vital work, which is why we began our series, Fact-Check Friday. This series is intended to launch critical thinking and spur understanding by addressing some of the myths and misinformation that have sprung up in our community. It is difficult for the general public to discuss reasonable, rational solutions without first having the facts.
One of the most persistent myths about homelessness has to do with their pattern of mobility and perceived benefits of locations. Put another way, it is a common misconception that the homeless populations are rarely made up of individuals who actually ‘belong’ to the community where they land. Usually, this charge is levied with the accusation that the homeless invade communities to siphon the resources away from the rest of us. This is a common argument around Chico’s polarizing relationship with the homeless, but it is far from unique. These myths have been addressed in our county as well as nationally.
In order to receive federal funding, counties must conduct a bi-annual Point in Time (PIT) survey of the homeless population. In Butte, that survey took place in the fall of 2019, and it has the most current data available for this population. It shows that 70% of the people who are homeless in Butte County last rented or leased a home in this county. In addition, the vast majority of our homeless population reports living in the county for 3 years or more. The entirety of the report can be accessed here: http://www.buttehomelesscoc.com/uploads/1/1/7/5/117500423/coc_-_2019_pit_survey_report_07-17-19.pdf
These numbers hold true in surveys throughout the state. In San Francisco, for example, 70% of the resident homeless population were housed in the Bay Area when they lost housing and only 8% came from out of state. Across the state, closer scrutiny of southern California reveals similar findings. Three quarters of Los Angeles County’s homeless population lived in the region before becoming homeless. Source: https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-crisis-explained/
The sheer pervasiveness of this falsity prompted The New York Times to take a harder look at the relationship between the increasing trends of homelessness, misinformation, and policy reform.. As part of their final report, the article published a series of questions posed by readers up and down the west coast.
“Christine Kroger, a reader from Stockton, wrote: “Where are the homeless people from? If they are transplants, when did they come to California, what brought them here, and how did they end up in their current circumstances?”
Another reader, Jim, from Santa Cruz, wrote that he believed “many, if not most” of the homeless people he saw were not native Californians. He asked: “Why is California bearing the brunt of this national crisis?”
Elizabeth Erickson, a reader in Seattle, echoed his sentiments, saying: “Do many homeless or near-homeless move to politically liberal areas, making the assumption that they will receive more assistance?”
For their part, The New York Times invalidated the theory with the observation,
“As the data shows us, most of the homeless people you pass on the streets every day are in fact Californians.”
This article, too, is available in its entirety: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/us/homeless-population.html
The nearby city of Mount Shasta provides an interesting test case for the idea of population shift for “perceived benefits.” Mount Shasta has a substantial homeless population as well, despite the near total lack of services available. No city or county services are available whatsoever in the city. The homeless population’s only assistance is occasional ad hoc meals and warm clothing in the winter, courtesy of just a few area churches, in sharp contrast to the supposed veritable buffet of benefits offered to Chico’s own homeless population. If the theory of bussing in interlopers to access perceived benefits held true, it would seem that Mount Shasta’s population would have opted to catch busses into the city years ago. Instead, Mount Shasta’s unhoused population has continued to climb as well.
Of course, none of this is to say that no one is ever bussed here. To be fair, like many other locales, Chico does have its’ own bussing program, meaning that if a person can demonstrate they have a family to go home to elsewhere, funding is available to secure bus tickets. Most often, the Chico Police Department is the entity making such purchases. There are also legitimate draws to the area where the homeless are concerned. For example, Chico’s temperate climate typically means low threat of snowfalls and freezing temperatures, which increases the likelihood of survival for someone sleeping on the streets. Additionally, the cost of rent (and thus the likelihood of being able to find housing) is substantially less here than in many larger cities, and occasionally, people arrive in the hopes of securing affordable housing before the reality of Chico’s housing crisis demonstrates otherwise. But these types of stories are the exception, rather than the rule.
So why is this myth so persistent, in Chico and everywhere else? I’d venture to say that a big part of it is that communities seeing the increase in homelessness just find it difficult to believe that these people were indeed once their neighbors, coworkers, relatives, or friends whose struggles have brought them to this point. Most people believe there is a sufficient safety net, but for too many that’s simply not the case. National findings indicate that 59% of American’s report they would not be able to cover a $1000 emergency. In this light, it’s a bit easier to imagine how this could happen in our community.
One of the most important steps we can take is recognizing that the homeless we see in our community are us. Understanding this can help us begin to shift the focus to integrated, community-based solutions, which are sorely needed.
If you are interested in further reading about some of the myths around homelessness, you may find answers here: https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/myths-and-facts/
☑️ Help us fight back against misinformation and build up, rather than tear down our community:
