City addresses questions about homeless center
Wes Bowers
In its latest round of keeping the community informed about the proposed access center for homeless individuals, the City of Lodi on Thursday released answers to frequently asked questions received from a survey it recently conducted about the project.
The city responded to 11 questions posed by community members, which staff said were the most common received while reviewing comments made by residents.
The center is not a homeless encampment, but a facility that will reduce barriers to shelter resources for unhoused individuals.
Three locations are currently being considered for the center, including a vacant building at 710 N. Sacramento St. and two pieces of city-owned property on Thurman Road in the industrial area of town, and near Salas Park.
One concern posed in the survey was that the access center would not solve the city’s homeless problem, and that staff needed to “find a way to stop other municipalities from sending their homeless to Lodi.”
In its response, the city said it collaborates with other municipalities in the area, and staff was unaware of any other agency transporting unsheltered individuals outside of their own area, and there was no evidence that other cities are dropping their unsheltered off in Lodi.
The city has stated in the past that many unsheltered individuals in town have ties to Lodi through family, friends, employment or long-term residency, and that they have not come from other cities to seek out resources in Lodi.
In addition, the city said the San Joaquin County 2019 pointin-time count survey shared that 72% of respondents reported being continuously homeless for longer than one year.
Some residents suggested a centralized facility near the county seat in Stockton that could provide education, re-entry to the workplace and access to rehabilitation and medical centers would be more ideal.
However, the city said a county-wide location for all homeless in the region would limit the overall resources available to cities.
“Moreover, we cannot force anyone to go to another city to seek resources for social services,” the city said. “If the individual does not want to leave their home and community in Lodi and all of the resources are allocated to a centralized location in another city, there would be minimal resources available locally and we could potentially see our unsheltered count increase.”
Many residents claimed in the survey that the homeless in Lodi do not want help and refuse to obey laws or conform to rules.
The city responded that while there are some who do not want assistance, a “great majority” of the homeless do want help, adding if a sufficient amount of resources and shelter are provided for those that want it, there will be a significant reduction in the number of unhoused individ
uals on city streets.
“We have made great progress with our mobile Access Center volunteers receiving more than 80 referrals in just two months for assistance, demonstrating the need and want for assistance locally,” the city said. “Unfortunately, current resources are limited and wait lists are long for those in need of housing, treatment services, or job readiness training. Having these resources available locally would allow us to expedite services to those in need.”
Residents also asked why the homeless can’t be transported to another city or removed from public spaces to solve the problem. The city responded that moving them to another city was not only inhumane, but it was not a true solution.
In addition, the Martin v. City of Boise ruling provided that homeless individuals cannot be prosecuted for merely sleeping outside on public property if there is not an adequate shelter for them to stay.
“An access center lowbarrier emergency shelter in Lodi would provide adequate alternatives, which would allow the city to focus enforcement efforts on reducing the occurrence of camping in public right-ofways, parks, in front of businesses, alleyways, etc., because unsheltered individuals could utilize the center’s shelter facilities,” the city said.
Other concerns raised included security at the site and funding.
Any site chosen, the said, will implement a good neighbor policy with round-the-clock private security that will routinely patrol the entire campus to ensure the safety of both clients and residents in the area.
The project will be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, a Local Early Action Planning grant, and a Permanent Local Housing Allocation grant.
“We know that this is not an overnight solution, however if nothing is done, nothing will change,” the city said. “An access center allows the community a gateway to much needed resources that otherwise either would not be available or would be insufficient to meet the needs of our growing unsheltered population.”
For more information about the project, contact the Community Development Department’s Neighborhood Services Division at NeighborhoodServices@lodi.gov. For updates on the Lodi Access Center Engagement Process, visit www.lodi.gov/1037/LodiAccess-Center.