Is this the best we can do?

In the days, weeks, even months following the Camp Fire I was so often reminded of our community’s generosity and compassion for others in need. Thousands of suddenly unhoused people injected into a town already struggling with a housing crisis, yet mutual aid popped up in every direction offering peace, stability, and hope. Just nearly three years later and our population of unhoused is treated less like our neighbors down on their luck and more like common criminals, undeserving of the most basic humans needs such as food and shelter.

With the recent closing of the airport resting site, more Chico residents are yet again being pushed around by city officials. Many of them Camp Fire survivors, many others reeling from separate challenges that have led to their current state of housing. As a member of what I believe to be a robust and intelligent community I find myself wondering, how have we regressed so far in how we treat our neighbors in need? Though the resting site was a less-than suitable “shelter,” it still drew in a sizable population of unhoused individuals, who now must move their trailers, vehicles, and other belongings once more with no direction or alternatives offered by city officials. Like many experiencing homelessness, we are all now dealing with the hand we have been dealt. I cannot help but wonder, is this really the best we can do?

— Melissa Wampler, Chico