By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston
In September 2019, the Salem Main Street Association conducted a
four-question, open-ended answers survey of downtown businesses focused
specifically on "issues of homelessness" downtown. It's not known how
many were asked to take the survey. There were about 20 responses.
Consistent with business owners' comments during Downtown Homeless
Solutions Task Force meetings, responses were concerned primarily with debris and potentially hazardous material left on and around the premises. Satisfaction with police response when called to address disturbances was quite
high, with only 8 of 20 respondents identifying the need for a change in City code
(specifically a sit lie/camping ban), the apparent rationale
being that it would "discourage congregation downtown" and thereby reduce "negative impacts." Most respondents expressed a
willingness to contribute to "effective" programs/resources for people experiencing
homelessness downtown. View the entire survey below. Notations on the
right are the authors'.
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