Care key to slowly clearing Binford Road vehicle camp
Binford Road leads to Gnoss Field, Marin County's airport in Northern Novato. Visible from Highway 101 and passing SMART trains, it has become the ad hoc site for more than a hundred mobile homes, trailers, autos and old buses housing approximately 85 men and women.
The location straddles the boundary between Novato's city limits and unincorporated lands governed by Marin County.
I recently walked the roadway with Marin County Supervisor Eric Lucan, a former mayor of Novato.
Many regard the semi-permanently parked vehicles as an eyesore to be removed ASAP. Others, including Binford's residents, consider it home. Government officials, including those in Novato and at the county, understand it's a quandary that must be addressed in a humanitarian but permanent manner.
Binford's residents are a mixture of the working poor (the largest contingent), a smaller group with substance-abuse or psychological issues who are chronically homeless and — the smallest category — those able to afford private sector RV parks but have temporarily chosen not to do so.
They present an example of why the term “homeless” can be a misnomer and inappropriate.
Perhaps “homeless” should be retained to describe only chronically homeless people enduring a double diagnosis of mental illness plus drug and alcohol substance abuse.
It's a poor description for the other two-thirds of Binford's residents. While housed in old motorhomes, they still have a roof over their head. One by one, these residents can transition to more permanent living situations, perhaps to new Marin-located trailer or RV parks, a traditional abode for low-income Americans.
County government's priority is shifting the chronically homeless off Binford and into permanent supportive housing. Marinwide, over 600 “homeless” individuals have been placed so far, with 94% of them remaining housed while receiving care for mental issues and substance abuse.
Lucan said the short-term goal is preventing any additional people with old RVs from moving onto Binford. The road is now at capacity. The county strategy (already underway) is building earth berms and placing concrete highway dividers on the site of each RV when it departs.
Just towing away the old vehicles and destroying them will create an unintended impact. Doing so would make some of those residents truly homeless and force them into far less acceptable locations such as Novato's Lee Gerner Park in a managed camp or into the wilds near Novato's Hamilton neighborhood.
As Binford's chronic homeless population transitions to permanent supportive housing, the remaining cars and trucks serve as what I see as “transitional housing” until new sites are available.
There's valid concern that trash and auto leaks are spilling into the adjacent California Department of Fish and Wildlife's marsh. The state once had fencing limiting entry to the marsh, but it's fallen into disrepair. It should be repaired promptly.
The county wisely placed portable toilets and trash collection sites along Binford providing sanitation for the residents.
While county officials are actively working on the dilemma, Binford will not be cleared of old RVs and trailers tomorrow. Having visited Binford on prior occasions, what I saw this week was a true improvement, but there is still a long way to go.
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The greatest threat to life and property in Marin is wildland fire. Thankfully, it's time again for the Ember Stomp wildfire prevention festival.
The event is Saturday at the Marin Civic Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free festival provides lessons showing how Marinites whose homes are at risk can adapt to wildfire. It includes a “fire smart” landscaping expo with tips on making individual homes far safer.
Ember Stomp's organizers understand that if they get the attention of our children and grandchildren, they'll have a route toward attracting their parents. The kids draw is, weather permitting, live burn demonstrations, plus a magician, face painting, interactive wildfire games and skits. Baby goats, which are key tools to clear fire-prone brush, will also be in attendance.
Government officials, including those in Novato and at the county, understand it's a quandary that must be addressed in a humanitarian but permanent manner.