Street living

I avoid passing too close to the encampments I find, in part because I never know the mental state of the occupant and whether they might take my presence as a threat. On occasion, I’ve been yelled at by residents who didn’t seem to be entirely of sound mind. Most of the time, though, I avoid makeshift homes simply out of respect. Given the residents’ circumstances, I figure the least I can do is respect their privacy. I feel for them, but I leave direct contact with people in their encampments to the professionals and instead support organizations that work to end homelessness.

Thankfully, it seems that those professionals — coupled with some significant actions taken over the last several years by our city and county leadership — are making a real difference. Although I take the actual numbers with a large grain of salt, the relative change in the counts of unsheltered individuals seems significant. Since 2022, the number of unsheltered individuals in Redwood City has dropped by 42%. And it shows — I’ve been seeing far fewer encampments on my walks, and the ones I’m encountering these days tend to be both smaller and relatively short-lived.

It appears that the reduction is due in large part to the construction of the county’s Navigation Center plus the city’s various Project Homekey facilities. Together, these are the first steps for many who at one time found themselves living in their cars or in makeshift shelters. The people who do take those first steps are those who have indicated their willingness to at least work with our social services organizations in an attempt to rebuild their lives.

However, not everyone is so willing. A number of people, for a variety of reasons, choose not to accept help. According to the city, “approximately 25% of unhoused individuals routinely refuse shelter when offered” and instead remain living on the streets. It’s at those folks that Redwood City’s new anti-camping ordinance seems to be aimed.

As I understand it, the city’s new ordinance has several steps. If an individual living in an encampment on public property is offered a shelter bed and refuses to accept it, they’ll be given a written warning. Twenty-four hours later, if they remain and still refuse the offer of a bed, they receive a second warning. Twenty-four hours after that, the encampment can be cleared, with items stored for at least 90 days. While the encampment resident can be fined or incarcerated at the 48-hour mark, the city — like San Mateo County — says it intends to use that as a last resort. Redwood City would much prefer that the resident either accept the offer of a place in a shelter or, I guess, move on.

While this ordinance won’t end homelessness in Redwood City entirely, it should help — if a similar ordinance instituted in Portland, Oregon, in May 2024 is any indication. Portland, as you may have heard, has had a terrible problem with homeless encampments. They lined some sections of the freeways and often blocked sidewalks in parts of downtown. But based on my visits over the years — my kids and grandkids live in the Pacific Northwest — the situation has visibly improved, especially over the past year.

I’m looking forward to seeing fewer encampments as I make my way around the city. As a kid, I had fun playing in forts I made from scrounged material, but that was play — no one should have to actually live that way.