‘They are God’s children:’ New Modesto councilman wants city to consider camps for homeless
One of Modesto’s new council members says it is time to start talking about whether the city should set up campsites with services for the homeless people who won’t go to shelters and continue to sleep in parks, alleys and other public spaces.
Nick Bavaro — who was elected Nov. 8 to represent Council District 4, which encompasses southeast Modesto — said once he takes his seat on the City Council, he will ask Mayor Sue Zwahlen to form a three-member ad-hoc committee to study this issue and appoint him as the committee’s chairman.
“I don’t know what this is going to look like,” Bavaro said about his proposal, “but we need to have the dialogue in the city of Modesto ... to address those issues.”
He said setting up campsites is the compassionate thing to do for homeless people who refuse services, and the compassionate thing to do for families who don’t feel safe using city parks and for business owners tired of cleaning up the messes left by some homeless people.
Bavaro said his proposal is in the very early stages, but he envisions more than one site, with each providing a place to sleep for 25 to 30 people. The sites would have basic services, including portable toilets and drinking water, and outreach workers would offer services. He said the church groups and others who now feed homeless people in parks would do it at the campsites.
City Manager Joe Lopez has said Modesto will hold a special council meeting once the Nov. 8 election results are official to swear in the new council members.
Mayor: Council would decide
The Stanislaus County election office has until Dec. 8 to complete its count, but the office reported Thursday it had counted 118,259 ballots in races throughout the county and had about 14,000 remaining to process and count.
Bavaro, who ran unopposed, is one of the three new members of the seven-member council. Eric Alvarez was elected to represent Council District 2, and Jeremiah Williams was elected to represent District 5.
Zwahlen said she is open to discussing Bavaro’s proposal. But she said any decision on whether to form a committee would be made by the full council after the matter is discussed.
She said that would include input from the public. Also, staff would need to inform the council on the city resources a committee would need and on all the efforts underway to help homeless people.
Those efforts includes Modesto’s Camp2Home program, which moves people into housing, and the Police Department’s homeless outreach specialists, as well as the efforts by other organizations.
Zwahlen said she appreciates Bavaro’s desire to look at one of the city’s top issues. “Residents are deeply concerned about this,” she said.
Attract more homeless?
Bavaro said his proposal complements the other efforts to help homeless people and is focused on those who refuse to go to shelter. Homeless people may not go to a shelter because they have more dogs than are allowed or don’t feel safe among people they don’t know.
Councilman David Wright questioned whether setting up campsites will create more problems. He asked whether people would be allowed to use drugs. He said if that were the case, then it could encourage people to continue their addictions and not seek help.
Wright also is worried the campsites could draw homeless people from other communities. “I’ve got a lot of concerns,” he said.
Bavaro said the ad-hoc committee would study those and other issues to ensure the council makes an informed decision on whether to set up campsites. He said that research would include looking at other communities’ experiences.
Bavaro said some homeless people already use drugs in city parks. He said his proposal does not solve Modesto’s homeless problem but controls it in a caring way.
“If they don’t want help (services), at least they are in a safe area with access to a toilet and shower,” he said. “They are God’s children,” he added, and he is “embarrassed” about the conditions homeless people endure living outdoors.
Councilman Chris Ricci has advocated for more than a year for Modesto to set up campsites as well as safe parking sites for people who live in their cars.
Modesto is working on launching a parking pilot program of 25 spaces for people who live in their cars. The car campers would be provided with services.
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 9:15 AM.
