The situation has providers worried.
Josh Lair, LEAD Navigator for the Marion County Public Health Department and stationed in The ARCHES Project's new building, says that the situation is "getting out of control." He says he sees dozens of new faces every time he visits the area, which he does on a regular basis as a volunteer with Be Bold Street Ministry (BBSM), and the long-time residents -- four men who've lived in the area between 9 and 20 years -- are no longer able to maintain order. Josh and others say they fear it is only a matter of time before someone is killed, resulting in a law enforcement sweep that will push campers into downtown -- both West Salem and CANDO -- in large numbers. That, obviously, is likely to upset a lot of people.
There is not sufficient shelter capacity to absorb a sudden influx of that magnitude. The Salvation Army's Lighthouse Shelter, which requires guests to submit to UAs and breathalyzer testing, currently has 60 to 69 guests each night, leaving only 7 beds for men and 5 for women. The Union Gospel Mission -- that's the Men's Mission and Simonka Place -- was full the entire month of July. Last night, the Men's Mission sheltered 145, leaving 5 beds for men, and Simonka Place sheltered 100, leaving no vacancies, turning away 19 single women and 3 women with children. This means, even in the height of summer, there's basically no place for the campers to go, unless they happen to be domestic violence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking victims/survivors, which most probably are not.
Jimmy Jones, Director of The ARCHES Project and Interim Director of MWVCAA, likens the situation at the quarry to Portland's Springwater Corridor a couple of years ago. Except, the Mayor's office in Salem isn't in control of the situation at the quarry, and doesn't appear to be doing anything in preparation for what many consider to be the inevitable crack down by law enforcement. And, unlike Portland, the lack of inter-agency coordination here means the situation is likely to change without warning or time to prepare. But, Josh says the community needs to "get ahead of this", before the situation becomes a crisis.
Josh and his BBSM associates have been doing their best to build trusting relationships with the folks out at the quarry, but they can't cover everyone, particularly not at the rate the population is growing. Josh estimates it would take an additional ten qualified outreach workers to cover all the homeless in Polk and Marion Counties, just to begin to get people who need them connected to services, so that when camps are swept, the people are more likely to have some place they feel they can go.
It's pretty clear something needs to be done, but who is going to lead the effort? Can "the community" get ahead of this, or will we just wait for a fire, or for someone to be killed, for law enforcement to clear camps out, and react as best we can to the ensuing chaos? Why, when it comes to the problem of homelessness, does Salem seem unable to get its act together?
Whether the site is swept, or not, there will continue to be a growth of homeless people... the problem is lack of affordable housing (I know, I'm stating the obvious) but whether it be here in Salem, Portland, etc. -- to little is being done to get to the root of the problem. Greed, bureaucratic hoop-jumping, lack of resources --- it isn't going to end and people need to realize the 'homeless' aren't going to just disappear into some magic place where no one can see them, hear them or have to deal with them.
ReplyDeleteApparently it is cheaper in the long run to "HOUSE" people first rather than paying continuously for cleaning up after them and sweeping them from their camps only to have to do it all again and again.
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