Homeless camping increasing downtown

McMinnville Police Department##Campers and their belongings line sidewalks along First Street last week while officers interact with residents.

Homeless camping has moved from the industrial outskirts of McMinnville to downtown, where a new “hot spot” for camping has raised concerns from citizens and drawn increased enforcement from Mac PD.

A resident spoke about the situation on the western end of Second Street at Tuesday’s city council meeting and ticketing for public camping has risen in the area around three downtown churches.

“The downtown area around the three churches has become the new hot spot so to speak in terms of houseless subjects camping, and all the related calls for service that we know will happen when they congregate in a small area,” Capt. Scott Fessler said in an update to city leaders.

Photos attached to the update show sidewalks lined with shopping carts, tents, luggage and other debris near First Presbyterian Church.

“The trash (and) debris had grown tremendously over the course of a couple weeks and the subjects congregating in the area had basically taken up residency on the sidewalks and planting strips in that area and were not moving along during the day,” Fessler said. “Just like we saw on (Marsh Lane and Dustin Court), if they are allowed to remain in an area for more than a (couple) days, they accumulate junk (and) debris and they leave trash strewn about.”

The former popular camping areas on Marsh Lane, Dustin Court and Rivergate Street have been vacant since changes to the definition of “established campsite” went into effect in June. The change allows officers to enforce city rules and abate campsites without a 72-hour grace period.

There were only three calls for service in that area of town in July and only one involved illegal camping, according to Fessler.

The migration downtown hasn’t gone unnoticed by residents. Jay Hlavka said he can hear people camping in Cozine Creek from his nearby apartment and described a recent visit to the Farmers Market.

“Along the way I noticed that there was blocks of homeless people just parked on the sidewalk, on the curbs with shopping carts and lawn chairs and blankets and all sorts of groceries and stuff just camping out in front of the (farmers) market all along Second Street here,” Hlavka told city council. “Is it acceptable to you guys to have this visible problem in downtown McMinnville?”

From his apartment patio Hlavka hears nightly disturbances coming from Cozine Creek.

“I can hear screaming, I can hear dogs barking at night and I can see people in the morning basically using Cozine Creek as their living room and their bathroom.”

In a passionate response, Encompass Yamhill Valley’s Julia Sublett said people camp in those areas because there aren’t adequate shelter services in the city.

“The city has not provided resources for them to live,” Sublett told the dais. “We really don’t have a place to shelter people, we don’t have a place for people to wash their clothes. We don’t have bathrooms that are open 24 hours.

“The people, they live in the creeks and they sleep on the sidewalks.”

Sublett paused to collect her emotions before continuing.

“I get text messages, phone calls from people who are desperate. They call me and they message me and they say, you know, ‘my car’s in the impound,’ ‘the police took my stuff,’ ‘I just got a ticket, it's $1,200, what do I do?’ They tell me ‘somebody stole my cellphone,’ ‘I don’t have a sleeping bag.’ I mean just, you know, ‘I want to kill myself,’ ‘I did try to kill myself.’ Anyway sorry, I’m rambling but I care about these people and feel like we have not provided solutions, we have caused more problems.”

Mac PD have trespassed over 30 individuals from one church’s property following staff complaints of debris and drug paraphernalia and Fessler said patrol squads will “significantly ramp up focus on criminal enforcement in the areas surrounding the churches in the downtown area.”

Sublett reported that enforcement happened this week, leading many clients to contact her regarding potential fines.

“The police have been handing out tickets this week which is why the street looks amazing,” she said. “Now our agency is scrambling. We’re going to attend court with them, we’re going to try to fight it, but they’re scared and they already didn’t have homes and they already didn’t have resources and now I don’t even know where they are. So, if I can find them, I’ll help them.”

One of Sublett’s clients also spoke at the meeting, sharing his success of obtaining housing at Baker Street Lofts after four years on the streets and in the Project Turnkey program.

“I’m very thankful for being able to get off the street and get back into a house again and protection, because it’s been a living nightmare of what’s happened to me,” Topo Thompson said. “It’s like living in the twilight zone.”

During his time on the street, Thompson said people often treated him and other homeless as “worthless individuals,” but that’s not the case.

“There are a lot of us out there that are good citizens, you know, that have a lot to give back,” Thompson said.