'Give Me Shelter' ... It's Time for Sanctioned Urban Camping (video)
Homelessness and the housing crisis aren't going away. Sanctioned urban camping on city land could provide shelter, respite and referrals for the most vulnerable.
Homeless people are people, too. Let's not forget that.
Clearing out homeless camps has been in the news nationwide. The City of Tucson recently announced that the "100 Acre Wood" encampment on the east side would be cleared out, and they also put large rocks under an I-10 underpass to prevent urban camping there. BLM land outside of Apache Junction is being cleared of nomads. The City of Phoenix cleared out “The Zone” in downtown. Sedona — which has been overrun by short term rentals1 — has created a Safe Place to Park program that allows people to sleep in their vehicles. An Oregon homeless camping case has made it to the Supreme Court.
Is is humane for cities to force the homeless people sleeping on the streets and nomads living in cars to move along when there is no place for them to go?
No. I think we should give people a place of respite. I shot the featured image for this article when Tucson Occupiers and homeless people were camped in downtown Tucson right outside city and county government buildings.
More than 10 years ago, the city was talking about sanctioned camping for the homeless. The time has come for this. The City of Tucson website says the city owns thousands of pieces of property. Surely, there are a couple of plots where that could be designated as "sanctioned" camping -- places that are designated for homeless people and nomads to say without law enforcement intervention.
My vision is more than "100 Acre Wood" or the "Bravo Camp". These were places where homeless people could roll out a sleeping bag or pitch a tent and not get arrested or hassled, but still there are no services or public restrooms.
Downtown business owners have complained about people pooping on the sidewalks and in doorways in front of their businesses. Give them a place to go2 ... in more ways than one.
My vision is to have a plot of city land with rows of large ramadas with banks of solar panels (like the ones at Sky Bar.) The large ramadas would provide shade and electricity to campers who can roll out a sleeping bag or pitch a tent in the shade. People living in their vehicles could pull in to these spaces. The solar panels would power a building with showers, toilets, laundry facilities and referrals to services.
Homelessness and the affordable housing crisis aren't going away anytime soon. Due to bad decisions made by the Arizona Legislature, finances are going to be tight. We can't afford to build subsidized housing for everyone.
What this state really needs is better government and *good-paying jobs* that keep up with housing costs. Sanctioned camping with shade and basic human services is a stopgap measure to help people living on the edge financially. Our real goal should be to prevent evictions, prevent foreclosures and prevent homelessness. (See my "I Got Issues" housing video for more prevention strategies.)
Video Transcript
The other thing I think is we have to look at keeping people sheltered overall. We have a lot of homelessness in the State of Arizona.
It's bad in Tucson, but it is way worse in the City of Phoenix, and the hot time of year is coming.
And so, I think that we have to look at sanctioned camping. This is a thing that came up a very long time ago because we not only have homeless people in Tucson who are camping and living in washes and, you know, hiding in nooks and crannies here and there.
But we also have a lot of people who are living in cars and vans who are nomads, are just kind of passing through and might be sort of living on the edge financially because they're trying to make it on $1,000 a month of Social Security less and so we should have some sort of place for these people to be.
I mean, again, on my walks, I see people, you know, parked along the side of the road in the neighborhood. There was one day [that] I came around the corner and, you know, there were there was laundry hanging on the railing of the catchment basin. And I could tell by the laundry that it was a male and a female in this van, and they were there for a few days.
And I realized that they were there because they had car problems because eventually I saw the guy underneath fixing the tire. They got it fixed and then they moved along.
But wouldn't it be nice if we had a place with, you know, a shower and a toilet and some laundry [facilities] where people like that who are passing through and maybe down on their luck have a place to stay?
My vision is like, you know, big solar panel ramadas to give them some shade and and some place to plug in their phones. And then the ramada with the solar panels would run [power] a building that would have laundry, toilets, showers. Referrals ... if they want referrals. But I think that this would be a big boon for the homeless population and the nomads who are passing through town.
And it would also relieve the neighborhoods, you know, because I see a lot of it in my neighborhood. I see a lot of it all around town.
And I don't mean those people harm, but I think that we could help them out by having sanctioned camping.
So it's just another idea. Again, how can we keep people sheltered ... somehow ... and how can we help them along before their lives completely fall apart?
So those are my views on housing.
Midtown Tucson is being overrun with short term rentals. Homes that once housed families are now housing tourists.
The complete lack clean, accessible, safe public restrooms in Tucson is a problem for everyone.
Pam, I appreciate and support your vision for the homeless "big solar panel ramadas to give them shade and place to plug their phones. The ramada with the solar panels would run [power] a building that would have laundry, toilets, showers."
Pam, Great post! I thought Tim Steller's article in the AZ Star on the dismantlement of the makeshift homeless shelters at "100 acres" yesterday struck the right tone for me. Your article today takes us forward to solutions, which are mandatory! When I read the growing calls for help in Next Door from people teetering on the edge of homelessness or who already are leading that precarious lifestyle on the streets, I know I am witnessing a crisis that is in full flower with no apparent plan by local government to intervene, as one would expect, if not solve. As society, we are only as strong as our weakest members. Being kind, helping those going through crises and securing affordable housing for people gives them a fighting chance. I like your attitude and hope that you will be instrumentally involved in effecting the improvements needed. If you are selected to assume Steve K's position to represent Ward 3 on the City Council, you will have a bigger megaphone.