Each evening at nightfall starts the homeless campers march/trek to the Dunes by way of the Samoa Bridge. It is a somber looking group that consistently sleep in the Dunes. Mind you, some of these are people who can't seem to stay "clean" and sleep in available shelters with rules. Others have mental issues that makes it hard for them to stay out of "trouble."
OK. We all understand that we have a homeless problem. But with no available toilets on the Peninsula, where do you think these people defecate and urinate? You got it. Same problem we have behind the Bay Shore Mall. Shouldn't it be more humane for the county to supply B&B portable toilets in places we know homeless gather? It would be better than the environmental and health havoc they are creating by not having proper facilities.
Oh, but we are not supposed to know that we have gatherings of campers because that is illegal! So do we just keep ignoring this problem that won't go away?
45 minutes ago
27 comments:
You bring light to an important issue, Richard, that is suffering from lack of leadership and coordination of local resources.
The business community is ready to join a coordinated effort to address this problem that would bring in healthcare, mental health, child protective services, housing, job placement and other services along with law enforcement to get tough with those who are chronic criminals, chronic drug users or homeless by choice.
"homeless by choice"
that's a great distinction. Most homeless want to live in homes and have jobs. But the "homeless by choice" crowd tend to migrate to certan parts of the country.
What I don't get is why they don't just dig a small latrine every day and then fill it in when they leave their campsite. Of course that would be the sign of some glimmer of personal responsibility and these chronic homeless neither have nor want responsibility of anykind. In essence they bemoan their existence and demand their "right" to behave like animals. Perhaps they should be caged like animals.
And who will pay for this Chris?
Richard, why don't you invite them over to your place for a bite and a bath?
The point is we're all paying for this now, but don't receive sufficient return on our investment because of our Balkanized approach.
The City of Eureka, County of Humboldt, cops and healthcare folks can't solve the problem alone, but if they worked together they could make a bigger dent in it.
Leadership is the key ... look at what Guiliani did in NY city.
Clearly, a blog isn't a good place for an aspiring politician to float ideas and get hints on how to refine them to win votes. At least not this blog.
NAN, aka Kenny Miller - you are quite the prig.
4:05pm-I say the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services has plenty of money to appropriate for a program of B&Bs that would cost the county under $100,000 a year. I will agree with Crawford that we need all the right people conversing with each other. Director Phillip R. Crandall needs to guide Alexandra Wineland, Branch Director, Public Health to cover this under public and environmental health issues and take the lead with other agencies. The budget for Crandalls office increased 20 million dollars to a total of 142 million next year. B&Bs would be a small effort in protecting health and environmental problems.
I have given many dollars and helped many individuals who are looking for a hand out locally. Have you? I bet not.
NAN: I find it interesting that when I touch on social issues like this, the response is little. Kind of like when I take on topics of Domestic Violence. Nobody wants to talk about hard issues. Forget the politics. Just talking about real issues.
7:25pm- You saying Dr. Miller reads my blog? No way!
Richard, you are so right. But the magic two questions are -- where do the homeless go and who pays for it?
It would be great to have the all local stakeholders (including the City of Eureka, County of Humboldt, businesses, law enforcement, medical, social services, and homeless representatives) sitting at a table and discussing options for Eureka and the County.
Talking about potential options would be a great start.
Anything is better than the status quo of “everything is fine”.
Richard, I came home today trying to stuff an encounter deep below my thoughts. Your post pulled the shameful story up and gave me the courage to blog about it.
We as a society have to do more and I as an individual have to do more.
Crawford is a Giuliani Republican.
Heh.
Tough noogies
Should have a centralized area for Humboldt homeless monitored by sherriffs dept, local police depts, mental health and the homeless would pay for by governing it and keeping it safe and clean. You know some local groups would help and some churches this is definetly a problem and it is only going to get worse.
cage them and use them for experimentation.
Homeless people have givin away their humanity. They are no longer worthy of respect or consideration, do as you will with them. A cat or dog has more worth than the homeless person, regard the homeless with no more regard than as one would an insect. Round them up, put them to use as slaves, or lab animals, or fertilizer or even food. They serve no other purpose.
Posts like Anon 2:30am make me want to slap the turds out of the person. I was homeless for almost a year when I lived in Eureka. My, choice, my addiction put me there. I was able to crawl out of all that through determanation and prayer and now have a great job and House up here. So do I still serve no purpose, was I freed from slavery, Shall I find the nearest lab and be a guinea pig? There are some of the homeless that are there not by choice. You sicken me.
Don't insult my dogs by comparing them to the dregs that frequent the dunes.
Why not? You just insulted a whole group of people that I bet you do not know each and every story of them. Sure some of them may be "dregs" as you put it but there may be some there not by choice. And with the way the economy is going, Eureka's is always worse then everywhere else, there may be lots more in that boat. No one person is safe, you too could become a "dreg". If that were to ever happen you want people to treat you sub human or treat you with humane like you deserve as a person??
Well at least I now have some idea's for my teaching on Sunday.
"...some of these are people who can't seem to stay "clean" and sleep in available shelters with rules.
What shelters? How many beds are available for the ~1,000 or more homeless in Humboldt County?
It's really hard to stay clean when you live outside. It's hard not to shit in the dunes, the woods, or wherever when you have to be a "paying customer" somewhere just to use the bathroom because there are no public faclities.
Oh yeah, and those restaurants may not want you even as a paying customer if you're dirty and smelly because you live outside because there are no shelters.
Cry me a river.
I think I love anon, must be a woman because there arnt any balls or they would post at least a nick name
"Chris, why don't you go to NY? We don't want you here."
I'll gladly take Chris Crawford over Anonymous any day.
According to the Times-Standard 10% of Eureka City Schools pupils are homeless. These are children!!
But are the children the ones shitting in the dunes?
CPR, you look like you'd take any man you could.
Anon dont need a man or a woman and to afraid of going blind to do it his self
Hey Crandall! Loosen up some of that 142 million you are allocated a year to some porta potties. Let these homeless poop with dignity!
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