A view on Sept. 6 of the improvised encampment near the Ninth Avenue off-ramp from the Pacific Boulevard viaduct.
The City of Albany says it is about to start enforcing its revised ban on unauthorized camping on public property. The new regulations took effect one month after the city council adopted them on Aug. 7.
The new ordinance says: “It is unlawful for any person to camp in or upon any public property or public right-of-way if the person has access to reasonable alternate shelter, has means to acquire reasonable alternate shelter, or has otherwise been offered, rejected, and/or been disqualified from reasonable alternate shelter.”
Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $100 on the first offense. The second time there’s the same fine and/or community service. Any further citations could result in the fine, community service and up to a week in jail.
“The Albany Municipal Court Judge is encouraged to use diversion with individuals willing to engage with housing, mental health, alcohol, drug, and other service providers,” the ordinance says.
A month ago the council voted 4-1 to enact these provisions. Steph Newton Azorr voted “no,” and Ramycia McGhee was absent.
Since the city closed and fenced its previously designated homeless camping sites at Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street on Aug. 29, a much smaller improvised encampment has sprung up near the Pacific Boulevard/Ninth Avenue off-ramp, mostly on state highway right-of-way.
I asked City Manager Peter Troedsson about that. His reply:
“Yes, the revised camping ordinance will be enforced. As you know, it’s an on-going process. On August 29, we cleared the two lots on which people were camping (Marvin’s Garden), without any incidents of violence or use of force. Staff have arranged for the use of the Linn County jail work crew next week to clear up trash that was left behind in the area.
“Community service officers are now working on the area where some people are camping on the sidewalk and rights-of-way. Camps are normally posted with a 24-hour notice as allowed under ORS 195.505, but in this case, ODOT (the property owner) has chosen to post trespass notices giving campers ten days to remove their camps. Once the ten days have passed (this Saturday), the camps will be cleared.”
Troedsson pointed out that the legislature revived criminal penalties for some drug offenses with House Bill 4002, passed this year.
“Drug use has finally been recriminalized effective Sept. 1,” he observed, “but the problems we face in Albany (and statewide) are problems that have been enabled by laws and policy decisions that have been in place for years. We didn’t get into this state overnight, and we won’t be getting out of it quickly. Unfortunately, cleanups like this will be increasingly necessary until we’ve adequately addressed the underlying drug addiction and mental health crises.”
The question now is whether these underlying crises will ever be addressed, and if so how. (hh)
Good. Once it starts it only gets worse. Also a homeless person told me a year ago they were coming here from Portland. More will come if there is camping.
My my my isn’t this just laughable! Most people with any common sense could have predicted this happening a long time ago. What a cluster + this is and could have been avoided with thought instead of feelings.
If u keep arresting people for not having a place to go then they will just make it worse u need to get people that want to get off the street and people who want better for themselves put them in a inhouse drug and alcohol treatment center
first before jail and get them affordable housing…
Hasso, an interesting follow up article would be to know how many people Helping Hands and CHANCE are currently sheltering and what additional capacity they have? I understand CHANCE was trying to offer a “low barrier” shelter for better outreach to people with addictions. BTW Hub City Village ribbon cutting event was fantastic! One small step, so much more to do… this is a community problem that impacts us all. Thanks for reporting on these issues!
Helping Hands has a little over 100 beds at capacity, and openings are few, for 21 and older and can pass a UA.
Unfortunately, most people that use drugs or mental issues do not want help. They just want a place to stay while continuing to suffer with their conditions. People agree that these people are unable to think clearly and cannot stop their behavior if not forced to do so. The only way for them to survive is to break the law and be chronic criminals. Low barrier shelters will not stop criminal behavior. Forced drug or mental health treatment does not work. Sadly unless we want to live in chaos, we need to address their criminal actions rather than their conditions. I have suffered homelessness and pulled myself out. For many they will never have a way out due to their own issues, the ones that can, will if they take responsibility and advocate for themselves as I did. The elderly and the disabled are the most neglected in their efforts to get out of homelessness. That is why we need to help them retain their homes and keep them out of the homeless system.
Hasso: Albany, Millersburg, and Linn County could set up a tent city at the site of the old paper mill. An offloading-to-rail business is not going to happen there. We all know that. That ship has sailed. So, why not set up a tent city there? Chance and Helping Hands and other people who help the homeless could drive out there with food and supplies.
Such a kind offer. Ship them out of the city limits into an area where people pay a premium for their properties outside of town where there are zero resources nearby for those that want them. No thanks! Terrible idea!!
The idea of setting up a place like that has already failed in Albany. A place without restrictions, guidelines, or structure with no one to be accountable to has predictably turned into a Lord of the Flies community when populated by drunks, the violent, and methed-up people. People repeatedly OD, there are beatings, sometimes with weapons, including hollow metal pipes, and one person was stopped just short of putting an axe in someone’s back or ribcage. (I’m talking to YOU, Josh ) Such a program NEEDS someone ON SITE with safeties in place for it to at least pretend to be a safe community, having witnessed this community before, during, and since the gardens.
Maybe we need a place like an RV Park or camp ground with a resident manager or 2 and spaces with a little liveable space not crunched together. Rules and regulations given at time person signs up. There used be temporary trailers with restrooms and showers setup for temporary campgrounds when we drove to Expo 1986 in Canada
That would be a good idea and there are cities that are bringing back single wide trailer parks for affordable housing. The one improvement is that the people can own their space. Some spaces could be used for temporary homes or RVs too. Knox butte or an area similar would work.
A $100 fine on the first offense? How many of these people have $100?, Up to a week in jail? The City of Albany has no jail! Where are these people going to be sent? Will the Linn County Jail accept them? If they do how much is it going to cost the City of Albany to lodge prisoners there?
The underlying crises can be addressed only if the individual makes the choice(s) to want to improve their life. Making the wrong choices got them where they are. They must learn to make right choices and be encouraged to consistently make the right choices. That’s where we can help by encouraging and helping them learn what those life-skill choices are. They are humans, the more they are disparaged and ridiculed, the more wrong choices they will make. AlbanyHUTS.org wants to offer individuals a safe place to sleep and help them find the right people to give them recovery options with life-skills training, but they must make the choice to want to improve their lives. Bring your solutions to the next City Council Meeting on 25 September, or else learn to live with the problem. God bless the homeless, and please pray for the hopeless.
Most of the unhoused people that are camping on city property do not have the $100.00 fine. Putting them in jail for a week means they will be getting three meals a day and a place to stay and a place to sleep. The property that the city provided (Marvin’s Garden) was not large enough for the number of campers, and it was not supervised. Of course there was trouble. Sweeping out the campers in the parks only means that the campers will move to a different location. All of this just costs taxpayers money and does nothing to fix the problem. The only way to fix the problem is to provide housing for the campers. Including detox, mental health, training, job opportunities, etc. For now the only shelters are run by religious groups that require church services. These people don’t need religion, they don’t need a hand out, they need a hand up. Some are not curable, and nothing can be done to help.
Correction Bill-
Albany Helping Hands, although is founded, and rooted in Christian ideals, does not require anyone to participate or attend any religious service for any length of time. The closest we get is the occasional volunteer group who may make and/or serve a meal (usually dinner), who may offer prayer, song, or fellowship during the meal.
Mr. Edwards, It is not disparaging or ridiculing to accept people for what they want. People have the free will to do what they want to do and their life skills get them what they want. The people who would appreciate the help, ask for it and have the life skills to be successful are ignored while people who want to be left alone are chased around trying to keep them out of trouble and out of our hair. This only enables them to keep up their bad behavior. I know many people who have lost everything they own trying to help the people who they love that do not want to be saved. It is truly horrible. Most have to accept that they cannot control others and be there if the loved one asks for help to seek recovery or mental help.
the homeless druggies and drunks need a place to be. if we had 5000 tiny houses ready to fill, it will not solve the homeless issue in or on the streets of albany.
Initially, I’ll bet it would d a lot, actually, to at least get them off f the streets, as I doubt we HAVE 5000 such to fill them. The immediate problem for some is that storage will be too small. But we would need a sld program thelp those that want the help.Then word gets out,and we would get flooded by out-of-towners looking for a free tiny house. At least, that’s where I see it going, and unless and until the gove and our communities stop BSing around and invest in PEOPLE instead of profit or popularity, that’s likely how it will continue.