Someone mentioned this article (published 2019) recently on Nextdoor and said we should be considering the idea of a homeless camp where the unhoused could set up tents permanently. The article talks about how people would be able to come and go as they please, how they would provide a space in a large tent for people who choose not to bring their own tent, how there would be food provided by an existing homeless nonprofit, and how they could have a permanent police patrol to help control violence. However, they proposed setting it up 13 miles southeast of Downtown. This is my reply:
In theory, something like this could work. However…13 miles southeast of Downtown? How about multiple mini-homeless camps throughout the city instead? It doesn’t make sense to force someone to make that journey with all their belongings. There have to be other places we can make this work. Even if we chose, for example, the streets that our homeless shelters are on. Give everyone amnesty that camps nearby, within a block or so. That way everyone will have access to food, showers, and emergency shelter if they need it. 🤷🏼♀️ If one block isn’t enough, then maybe let people have a space to camp out on a first-come, first-serve basis? That will serve the purpose of keeping the encampments contained and allow people to choose to bring their kids, etc. to spots in the city away from the area.
