The cause and effect of shelter crisis

Humanitarian Nancy Wirtz is right in her latest letter in April 9th’s E-R. City councilors (five of you) seem to have lost touch with your real selves, the compassionate, loving resourceful selves.

Many times I have seen lead stories together in this paper, which indicate cognitive dissonance of the real world around us. I wish our city’s administrators would open their eyes. The front page story headlined, “Housing demand remains high, new housing likely to stay expensive” and the article underneath, “Comanche Creek campers given 72-hour notices,” clearly shows the cause and effect of the shelter crisis, which five councilors want to not exist. Councilors, you have never articulated to the people of Chico precisely why an organized campsite cannot exist, even while organizers are willing to do the work, provide for the maintenance and order, and owners are willing to donate lands. You seem to prefer spending tens of thousands of city funds routing every two weeks those with the initiative to make camps away from the business sections and the formal neighborhoods. Trash is a byproduct of those without homes. Even a campsite can be cleared of trash, as has been shown by volunteers who actually care.

Homelessness has been on the rise for at least the last 10 years, and in crisis mode at least since the Camp Fire. Why has it taken so very long for city and county administrators to enable affordable housing, and simply to enable a wellfunctioning campsite? Homeless people’s lives matter too!

— Cathy Webster, Chico