Modesto homeless camp is filling up, but officials adapt to find room for more
The homeless camp Modesto and Stanislaus County opened nearly three months ago essentially is full, but the operations manager says officials are finding creative ways to take in more residents.
The camp, which is underneath the Ninth Street Bridge in the Tuolumne River Regional Park, had 415 residents as of May 8, according to the city. The camp has roughly 285 blue and white, 10-foot-by-10-foot tents donated by a Reno company called Qamp.
But for about the past month, officials have set aside cots for newcomers to stay temporarily until one of the tents opens. There now are a dozen cots in two tents for men and two cots for women in one tent.
About five to 10 of the Qamp tents open each week, allowing people to move from a cot into a tent of their own, said Doug Holcomb, the camp’s operations manager.
He said people leave the camp because they decide it’s not for them, or they find a better situation. Holcomb said that includes going to live with family, entering drug and alcohol treatment, or housing. He said about 65 people have found better situations since the camp opened.
The simple solution would be to add more tents.
“We’re looking,” city spokesman Thomas Reeves said in a Monday text when asked why the camp could not add more tents, “but the challenge now is that any tent we get will not be uniform with the rest ... One of the major successes in the beginning was that each tenant was treated equitably with the same style and size tent. Believe it or not, we haven’t been able to find a like-for-like tent.”
The camp — which officials call the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter — opened Feb. 20 as a replacement to the homeless encampment at nearby Beard Brook Park. The city opened the park to homeless people in September in response to a federal court ruling that said it was cruel and unusual punishment to prosecute people for sleeping on public property when they don’t have access to shelter.
Beard Brook did not have the structure, security and services at the Ninth Street Bridge camp, and essentially was run by the homeless. Some homeless people complained about favoritism in how donations, including tents of varying sizes, shapes and conditions, were being given out to Beard Brook residents.
Modesto continues to enforce its regulations against camping in city parks, but officials say citing people is the last resort. Police officers are referring homeless people they find camping in parks to the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter as well as the Modesto Gospel Mission and The Salvation Army.
Assistant Police Chief Rick Armendariz said there always has been a shelter bed or cot available when officers find people camping in parks. But he said some people choose not to go to the outdoor camp or a shelter but gather their belongings and move along.
The camp is not open to homeless people arriving at its gate. But Holcomb, the operations manager, said the camp has been creative in not turning away vulnerable people. He said that includes those fleeing domestic violence, those who are newly sober after completing a recovery program, and families.
Holcomb said camp officials and service providers work with these homeless people to find the best outcome for them, which can include staying at the outdoor shelter and receiving services or getting shelter and services elsewhere.
The Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter will be replaced by a new 180-bed shelter with services near downtown. Officials have said the new shelter could open by late summer or early fall. And officials say they continue to work on providing more transitional housing and homeless services.
This story was originally published May 13, 2019 at 4:58 PM.