Homeless Supreme Court case

[Alan]

So where exactly should the homeless of Grants Pass sleep?

That's a good question. I suppose the first level of safety nets is family, then friends, then community. Although each of those probably comes with conditions that must be met and my guess is that those very conditions keep the majority of the homeless population from taking advantage of them.

[Rogar]

There are some homeless people who simply like the lifestyle and don’t want to be forced into a normalized living situation. Should we then allow those folks to camp in parks and other public places, resulting in filth and crime that renders those places useless for people who would otherwise use them. Such as a park??

I talked with a sheriff a month or so ago who had helped clear out old beat up RV type long term campers from a parking area in a county recreation area. One of them had caught on fire and caused some damage and there had been reports of car break ins.. He was putting up big "No Camping" signs. He apparently came from a conservative cut, but his take was that they get a slap on the wrist for minor infractions, like littering or trespassing, and that most of them just don't want to get a real job. I suppose the RV type homeless are a slightly different sort.

Actually fires are another concern where there are camps in creek bottoms or undeveloped areas and open campfires. At least here in the arid west.

[iris lilies]

I talked with a sheriff a month or so ago who had helped clear out old beat up RV type long term campers from a parking area in a county recreation area. One of them had caught on fire and caused some damage and there had been reports of car break ins.. He was putting up big "No Camping" signs. He apparently came from a conservative cut, but his take was that they get a slap on the wrist for minor infractions, like littering or trespassing, and that most of them just don't want to get a real job. I suppose the RV type homeless are a slightly different sort.

Actually fires are another concern where there are camps in creek bottoms or undeveloped areas and open campfires. At least here in the arid west.

fires were an ongoing problem with urban homeless as well. in my urban core neighborhood that was gentrifying decades ago, vagrants moved in to boarded up houses often caused fires.

[LDAHL]

fires were an ongoing problem with urban homeless as well. in my urban core neighborhood that was gentrifying decades ago, vagrants moved in to boarded up houses often caused fires.

I knew a guy who returned from an overseas deployment to find squatters in his house. It took something like five months to get rid of them.

[catherine]

I knew a guy who returned from an overseas deployment to find squatters in his house. It took something like five months to get rid of them.

That happened to us. But it was only one squatter (in my MIL's house that we were getting our renters to vacate so we could sell), and she was a substance abuser. Her social worker told us not to let us in. She changed the locks. The police told us to get off our property. It took 4 months and we lost the best of the selling season, so that was an added expense to be sure.

But underneath these anecdotes about the homeless is a bigger systemic issue. My great-grandfather died in an "asylum" because he just didn't fit into mainstream society--do we go back to that model?

Edited to add: This is what Burllington's partial solution is. Pods that are located on the block between one of my son's house and the other. I haven't asked them lately what they think of it. Sounds like it's kind of working but with problems to iron out.

https://vtdigger.org/2024/02/04/one-...ods-a-success/

[iris lilies]

That happened to us. But it was only one squatter (in my MIL's house that we were getting our renters to vacate so we could sell), and she was a substance abuser. Her social worker told us not to let us in. She changed the locks. The police told us to get off our property. It took 4 months and we lost the best of the selling season, so that was an added expense to be sure.

But underneath these anecdotes about the homeless is a bigger systemic issue. My great-grandfather died in an "asylum" because he just didn't fit into mainstream society--do we go back to that model?

Edited to add: This is what Burllington's partial solution is. Pods that are located on the block between one of my son's house and the other. I haven't asked them lately what they think of it. Sounds like it's kind of working but with problems to iron out.

https://vtdigger.org/2024/02/04/one-...ods-a-success/

to add insult to injury, the taxpayers were paying the salary of that social worker to give that legal advice to the squatter in your MIL’s house. I seem to remember that was a different state so probably you were not paying her salary, but still. Infuriating

[catherine]

to add insult to injury, the taxpayers were paying the salary of that social worker to give that legal advice to the squatter in your MIL’s house. I seem to remember that was a different state so probably you were not paying her salary, but still. Infuriating

It was frustrating, that's for sure. It was in New York State.

[jp1]

to add insult to injury, the taxpayers were paying the salary of that social worker to give that legal advice to the squatter in your MIL’s house. I seem to remember that was a different state so probably you were not paying her salary, but still. Infuriating

No kidding. That reminds me of this story.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/man...nia-homes/amp/

[jp1]

That's a good question. I suppose the first level of safety nets is family, then friends, then community. Although each of those probably comes with conditions that must be met and my guess is that those very conditions keep the majority of the homeless population from taking advantage of them.

And if none of those options is available to the person it’s ok if the city makes it illegal for them to sleep?

[Tradd]

And if none of those options is available to the person it’s ok if the city makes it illegal for them to sleep?

You’re offering to take a homeless person into your home?