It’s high time to end Modesto’s intractable homelessness problem, attorney says

The homeless and their impacts on our community are the No. 1 quality-of-life issue in Modesto.

All of us contend with these impacts every day. Whether sleeping in our doorways, camping in our parks and along our waterways, loitering in our public places or on our sidewalks, leaving trash and personal belongings strewn everywhere, or pushing stolen shopping carts, they are a constant blight on our city.

The homeless are in constant view of citizens and visitors alike, deterring potential residents from moving here and discouraging businesses from locating or expanding here.

We have been hearing for years of the efforts supposedly made by our city leaders to solve the homelessness issue. However, the numbers of homeless and their disastrous effects seemingly inexorably increase. The grim reality is that homelessness will never be solved as long as drugs continue to flood our community, veterans return from service with PTSD, and there are continued shortages of housing. The best that can be hoped for is management of the problem.

While permanent housing and a return of the homeless to productivity and to the workforce are worthy long-term goals, the short-term objective must be to get people off our streets, out of alleys, out of doorways, out of our parks and away from our waterways. Despite the claims of homeless advocates and our leaders, by law our community owes the homeless population nothing other than availability of shelter.

Citizens of our city have the right to enjoyment of our homes, businesses, parks, streets, paths, trails and public spaces. The continued infestation of all these places by the homeless population makes our citizens fearful and less willing or able to use these public amenities.

Consider the parents who wish to take kids to play in the local park, but are afraid because of the presence of numerous homeless people and their detritus. Consider the kids who can’t use park restrooms; they are locked because of repeated vandalism and use by prostitutes and drug addicts. Consider the runner who wishes to use the Dry Creek Trail but is fearful because of homeless people camping in the underbrush.

Consider the business owner — already sorely burdened by the thicket of laws, regulations and mandates seemingly calculated to make doing business in California as difficult as possible, as well as the lingering sequelae of COVID — who has to start the day rousting homeless people from the building’s entrance and cleaning up urine, feces and debris left the night before.

Fixing Modesto scourge

We are dead tired of this ongoing scourge in our community. It is continuously worsening and we are unwilling to wait for long-term solutions. This must be the immediate goal:

1. Ensuring that there is a sufficient number of shelter places available every night

2. For those unwilling to use shelters, establishment of designated areas for camping that are safe and secure

While not required by law, toilets, showers, dining facilities, and mental health services may be provided at these locations. Churches and other organizations wishing to provide food and services should be encouraged to do so in these designated areas, rather than all over town. There are numerous areas within and outside Modesto suitable for the purpose. None is ideal, and each will face resistance by NIMBYs and vested interests. We must share the burdens created by homelessness equitably in our neighborhoods.

Our leaders are seemingly shell-shocked by the disasters of Beard Brook Park and MOES, which were ill-conceived and hastily constructed. They should be considered as learning experiences and should inform decisions for future locations and designs.

3. There must be actual enforcement of laws forbidding camping in parks, other public areas, streets and alleys by arrest and incarceration pending posting bail or upon order of the court. There must be real, tangible and prompt consequences for this unacceptable behavior.

This will require dedication of substantial resources. While Modesto already has an ordinance prohibiting camping or lodging in city parks, our City Council may need to consider further ordinances specific to homelessness. The city may need to add police officers, facilities for holding arrestees and for longer-term incarceration. There are multiple ideas for spending the anticipated revenue from Measure H; dedication to homelessness management should be at the top of the list.

No more excuses

The citizens of Modesto are infinitely weary of our seemingly intractable homeless problems and the apparent inability or unwillingness of our leaders to do much about it. The enormous amounts of money being thrown at homelessness have created interest groups who are seemingly more adept at grant writing than finding real solutions, and whose self-interest is inimical to those solutions.

Our citizens deserve better. We long for a better Modesto. We pay taxes, we run businesses and professions which bring prosperity to our community, and we wish to raise our kids in a safe, secure, and comfortable community.

We see failure to manage the homeless problem as a primary factor preventing this. We intend to hold our leaders accountable for real solutions with real results and we want this done now.