Turlock to sweep this homeless encampment next. How many shelter beds are available?
The city of Turlock is set to sweep another homeless encampment on Wednesday, marking its second eviction since an official declared a local emergency on homelessness.
Police and outreach workers plan to provide notice and offer services along West Glenwood Avenue one more time Tuesday, said Maryn Pitt, spokesperson for the homeless crisis response.
An estimated 30 people live in the targeted area between West Linwood and Lander avenues, Pitt said in an email. Police first gave verbal notice to leave the area on March 31, followed by written notices on April 2 and a reminder on April 9. County and nonprofit agencies visited the camp offering services such as shelter on March 16 and March 25, Pitt said, as well as on April 6 and April 8.
Pitt had yet to receive a report on how many unsheltered people living on West Glenwood accepted services. None of the residents accepted a coronavirus vaccine on March 31, Pitt said.
Shelter bed availability fluctuates daily, but Pitt said that on average, the We Care Program has five and Turlock Gospel Mission has 55 beds open. As a result of the local emergency, interim Turlock Police Chief Steven Williams previously said the city increased the mission’s permitted capacity from 49 to 80 beds by allowing cots in dining rooms and common areas.
The city has not needed to open an overflow facility at the Stanislaus County Fairground because beds are still open at the existing two shelters, Pitt said.
Unlike the West Main Street encampment cleared in mid-March, Pitt said there are no plans to build a fence around the West Glenwood site. The city paid for fencing around the former West Main camp and contracted with CrimeTek Security, a Turlock-based security company, to monitor security camera feeds.
The security system on the private property between Planet Fitness and Evergreen Packaging includes a motion detector, Williams said at the last City Council meeting. The system can contact police if needed, he said. City staff intends to end the security service once it can determine people are not trying to return to the former homeless encampment, Williams said.
This next sweep is mostly located in the public right-of-way. As a result, Pitt previously said the city must ensure enough beds are available before clearing the area.
A federal court ruling prevents California cities from charging people who sleep in public spaces with crimes if homeless shelter space is unavailable. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the ruling for Martin v. City of Boise in 2018. Part of the ruling stated “the state may not ‘criminalize conduct that is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless — namely sitting, lying, or sleeping on the streets.’”
The city estimated 225 people lived in the five largest homeless encampments this February, but the count does not include people living in smaller camps or in shelters, according to a report to the City Council. In comparison, the average point-in-time count for 2019 and 2020 was 239 homeless people.
“We encourage all those in need and find themselves unsheltered, to accept any one of the multiple offers for shelter and social services,” Pitt said in an email.
This story was originally published April 9, 2021 at 4:51 AM.
