Albany’s designated homeless camp was full on July 30. Its lone portable toilet is near the Jackson Street sidewalk on the left.
Albany’s officially designated homeless camp, Marvin’s Garden, has at least three deficiencies that should be fixed, the city council learned Wednesday. Members listened to the report but made no move to act on it.
The camp was set up to become operational by July 1, but the council has yet to ask the police department or other city officials for a report on how it has worked out.
Instead, the council Wednesday night heard from Carol Davies, the head of COAT (Community Outreach Assistance Team), an offshoot of the private nonprofit Creating Housing Coalition.
Davies has “unofficially taken over responsibility” — her words — for seeing to it that services are available to people at the camp site, on the corner of Jackson Street and Ninth Avenue.
She told the council the city did a good job setting up the camp, given the short time it had to do so, but that the place has “deficits” that should be adressed.
First, there’s only one portable toilet, not enough for the roughly 40 people in the 15 tent sites on the corner and the nearby lot for vehicles on Jackson. It’s a health issue. Davies said there needs to be at least one more toilet.
Second, there’s no running water at the site. What bottled water is available is not nearly enough to keep people hydrated during these hot days. Davies suggested the city install at least a spigot connected to the city water system.
And third, she said, it gets very hot in those tents sitting on gravel in the partly unshaded lot, and not all the people staying there have tarps to shield their tents from the sun. Davies’ suggestion: Some kind of canopy.
Davies was not on the agenda but talked to the council under “business from the public.” This allowed her only three minutes, and when she started to go a little over, Mayor Alex Johnson made it clear her time was up.
You’d think that this was not “business from the public” but a matter of public business, a progress report on a project in which the mayor and council would have a burning interest.
The council now is taking a six-week break. The next regular council meeting won’t be held until Sept. 27.
As for the issues raised by Carol Davies, maybe somebody at City Hall will deal with them without council action. Or maybe not. (hh)
On Aug. 3, Marvin’s Garden was oveflowing slightly across the intersection of Ninth and Jackson.
Not enough porta potties, no running water, and no shade! Let us hear the excuses as anybody with a brain would have recognized the problems before they opened the camp. I would also like to know if there are garbage facilities or are they forced to dump it on the ground as they usually do.
There’s a dumpster. I’ve been by 3 times on the bus since they opened. Last time was Tue. The dumpster wasn’t overflowing or police present the last 2 times.
Every societal problem can be solved with increased government revenues.
So, Albany needs to do what Portland’s Metro council did and get voters to approve a “homeless services tax.”
Or, better yet, impose the tax as a homeless services “fee” and assess it through a utility bill.
It could raise millions. Perhaps enough to buy a 2-star air conditioned local hotel with a pool/spa near the freeway. That would accommodate Albany’s current homeless population.
And unlike Obama’s 2010 ten year plan to end homelessness, Albany’s problem could be solved much faster. At least until another hotel is needed to meet anticipated demand.
Your sarcasm about a hotel with a pool/spa is not clever. Man’s inhumanity to man is what I am reminded of. It is not cute to try to be smart aleck at the expense of poor people.
And Hasso wrote “and when she (Carol Davies) started to go a little over, (her 3 allotted minutes) Mayor Alex Johnson made it clear her time was up.” As I said, man’s inhumanity was on display.
But, Carol Davies, thank you for caring about people and not being like the above-mentioned examples.
Thank you Cap. mans inhumanity to man is on display all through out our nation and will be the end of what made us great to begin with.
Make empathy great again!
AMEN, all the way!
I want people to have shelter, but I don’t think government providing it is the answer.
I want people to have food, but I don’t think government providing it is the answer.
I want people to have jobs, but I don’t think governmental intervention in the economy is the answer.
Humanitarianism we all understand. Social order we all value.
Our differences are in defining who, what, where, when, and how it is best achieved.
Thank you.
Just what we need…another tax
So if the citizens don’t pay for public services, who should?
We should tax the people in Salem who never lived here and have idiotic comments about those who live here.
I agree with this being a matter of public business and I was surprised that she provided this update under “business from the public” when this really should have been a full report without the three minute time limit. I would like to see this update from Davies be something regular and really have the matter listened to and taken seriously.
Brandon, perhaps you could urge the board to do this. It is a good idea, but they would have to make a special place on their agenda for such reports. You and others could do this during the public comment period.
I know from experience that public comment is the best way to get through to commissioners. And it is better if more than one person takes that responsibility.
Prior to becoming a commissioner on a water district board several years ago, I was able to stop that district from selling off a part of their property to an individual for $700,000 less than the property was worth (be happy to share how that was done).
Keep on keeping on!!
It’s disgusting. NONE of these people even try looking for work, the garbage on Jackson St and especially the house next to the overpass is just breeding grounds for rats and how many sex offenders are just a few mere steps from the kiddie pool…….give them 1 way tickets back to the state they’re from. It’s not as if they have a job to stay for. ALBANY IS DISGUSTING, couches in the front yards, trash everywhere and we have to endure harassment going into stores, FIRE ALL OUR CITY LEADERS….
Speaking of disgusting. I’ll say no more on that subject, but I’m not talking about the homeless people.
Only a tiny, tiny fraction of homeless people are employable. Your spewing hate for Albany tells me you probably need to move.
My son is one of the people out there that your talking about. He has a mental illness a lot of them do and all they get is a month in jail then sent back on the streets. I am not equipped to help him or I would. He needs to be in the hospital to get his meds but all the cops see is a menace to society. They know him and harass him every chance they get.
Why are you not taking care of your son again?
Bb, you and most other people (through no fault of your own) do not know what it takes to deal daily with a person with a mental condition. You cannot just take them to the state hospital anymore, and you cannot make them go for help (or even find help for them).
Always someone else’s problem.
BS I have had many a homeless people employed where iWork. They’re not employable is just an excuse.
Have you ever needed help? It costs money to live a “normal” life. There is no low income housing available and waiting lists are years long. Not all of these people are out of area deadbeats. If you have to live on a gravel lot, jammed together, no water, no heat, no cover, no trash facility, and one toilet for 40 people…..sounds like a third world country minus living on the refuse heap. Oh and thanks to our “city representatives” for their timely and astute actions on behalf of these citizens. Oh now go and enjoy your six week break….when the snow flies will we just refer these tent dwellers to “our warming shelters”. Delay, delay, delay, and the people will forget about this farce, except for the ones living it. SHAME….I am without further words….
Well, aren’t you a peach… But, how do you know who has or hasn’t looked for work? How do you know how many sex offenders are there?
HH hits it right, things need to be fixed. But the children at the pool should be supervised by responsible adults, no one can be forced onto a train (and the image that it invokes is terrifying), and the State legislators put in rules that if a site like this does not exist, they can’t be removed from public space. Perhaps you prefer they camp in front of your house?
Instead of firing anyone, maybe you should run for office, Peg! Then you can just show us all how it’s done! Same goes for any of you blaming other people. Ask yourself what it is that YOU have done to help.
Peg, your comment is very sad. so many homeless are people from this town that are brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, grandparents and children of people that all live in this town, and you snub them. You have no idea who is or is not looking for work. there are several agencies like Helping Hands, 2nd CHANCE, CHANCE, Jackson Street, Community Services that all link to services and may link to employment support. Many have programs that to engage, to find housing, employment search and obtaining employment is required. Many of the successful people started off living in a tent. So don’t snub your nose at people and judge them because you don’t like homeless people or don’t have an ounce of empathy. What happened to Love thy neighbor? It is not just the rich white neighbors Peg! It is all neighbors. Maybe go down and meet some of them, spend time with them, you will find they are just like everybody else, many just struggling and would love to have a break and get back to work, Break the cycle of generational poverty. They just want to have people just look at them with love and not be labeled as disgusting or ugly, or unwanted. So, Peg, instead of perpetuating the problem, why don’t you try to be part of the solution and get off your butt and help to be part of the solution. Help thy fellow neighbor, help the homeless. Volunteer to make a difference. AND STOP COMPLAINING! It is not a good look for anyone! And if you don’t want to help and be the change and you have that much hate for Albany, well…..I-5 is that wa!!! Safe journey! I hope you find a community or state that has people just like you! My suggestion, Try Florida.
Hey Jeff, what has Florida done to you?
Under DeSantis, Florida is becoming a state for those who either love one way of life, or for others who are LGBTQ, black, brown, Asian, an immigrant, non-Christian, a place of fear, feeling hate, no longer feel safe, being stripped of basic rights. Need I go on? I will…. Just because one person complained about a book, no other child gets to read that book? Parents don’t get to make decisions for their own children’s health care? Removing and rewriting or let me say whitewashing history, history where blacks benefited from slavery. BS! The type of hate that is spewed against those who are homeless, those who suffer from addiction and mental health conditions, is the same type of hate and backward thinking that Florida is doing to its state and people. It is a crying shame that it is being done under the guise of Christianity when in fact, there is nothing Christain about it. I will not visit Florida again. The number of good doctors, dentist, educators, business owners, lawyers, interior decorators, hairdressers, landscapers, caterers, chefs, Restautant owners, who are all LGBTQ or a other minority are and have been leaving Florida in droves because of the changes that DeSantis is making regardless of actual law. Florida has become a place of open hate. It is not what Florida has done to me Hasso, but it is a telling point of politics were two of the Republican candidates are from and have similar ideals. And while I know we have some people in Albany that share some of those ideals, I am even friends with some of them, but spewing hate at Albany and homeless is not solving the issues, but helping, and taking action does. Information and education is power, and misinformation, ignorance and hate need to go away, leave, flyaway, bye-bye.
I fear you are misinformed about Florida laws or attitudes. Or you interpret them in a way I would consider unjustified.
Ha
No, Hasso. You’re the one who is misinformed.
Hey Peg…..you bitch about everything about Albany on every social media outlet…..MOVE OR SHUT UP…or maybe do something to better your life.
I’m going to say if the shoe fits on your last comment wear it obviously you weren’t what was considered the definition of homeless and didn’t stay there for very long I’m assuming because you had people helping pick you up along the the way I promise you if you have ever walked in any of the shoes of one of the people down at that site you wouldn’t be running your mouth the way you are you make me sick you are the reason that there’s no humanitarianism in this world anymore this County gets funding to help homeless people get clean and sober get into stable living and obtain jobs if it wasn’t being misappropriated maybe the funding would be there to help those people. And by the way I am one of those people and I am the one that carries a full-time job and still can’t get a place to live and I work my ass off so before you go passing judgment on people you know nothing about and have never walked in their shoes you sound like an ignorant person not a smart person
It is a false assumption that the city is concerned about any issues that do not get them more funding to add more entertainment attractions for the more affluent to enjoy. The homeless are contained in the less desired part of town. Their job is done. Shoving them in small stalls even if you used the entire block would not be enough to accommodate the amount of homeless in the area. It just gives them a place to meet, get drugs etc.
They have just created a city block of slum area. They use the excuse that the city has no future plans to develop the area. Regardless of what is already there and still viable. It is called benign neglect when a city intentionally allows an area to degrade until the point of where the area can be condemned and used for projects of their choosing.
Not that I’m looking to defend the CITY, but that is pretty much under the Pacific Overpass and next to the RR tracks.
Now when the buy the old school bus parking lot (why did the school district have to spend the money to move?) and expand Marvin’s South East 1, you’ll clearly see the direction they’re heading. It ain’t DOWNTOWN!
There are two businesses directly across from the tent city and many businesses within a few blocks on Pacific, Hill, 9th and on Jackson street. Why is it so hard to find a solution that does not affect or ruin any area? Being tucked away in that area is also is a perfect place to encourage illegal and abusive behavior. How is this helping anyone? No one could better their lives living in this situation. Negative situations are never overcome by negative solutions. This is another project by the city that tries to “fill a bucket with holes in it”.
The City has provided the space. If the City is also going to provide all things needed—water, shelter and toilets, then the City might as well built free houses. If that happens, it still will not be enough. This is a deep societal issue that funding alone cannot solve.
Of the 9 groups that comprise the homeless, 6 may get in the way but are not bad people. the other 3???? I am reminded of Ronald Reagans words paraphrased, these folks remind me of the alimentary canal of a baby, never ending demands on one end and absolutely no responsibility on the other.
Sick, Rich. Sick.
#4. A fence so people living near and driving by don’t need to see it!
The “residents” may also appreciate the privacy.
A fence so people don’t need to see it? So….., just cover up the problem to make everyone feel better about themselves? Out of sight out of mind? That is a terrible idea. We need to be reminded our neighbors that are homeless and are suffering, living in tents, while we have comfortable homes, need help. We don’t need to hide people, we don’t need to build a fence to hide them, we need to help them!
Where has everyone’s humanity gone? Your empathy? Your compassion?
I also said to give them privacy but I see you overlooked that. OK….lets go with no fence to make it a little more acceptable to the community. I propose the next two be built on either side of your home. Maybe a fence would then be appropriate.
Why doesn’t this Mayor/City Council demand payment from the STATE to cover this STATE ORDERED MANDATE? Is it lack of guts?
Remember, the state govt. revolves around PORTLAND. Forcing all the other cities to accommodate the homeless at no “state expense” means we will be handling PORTLAND’s EXCESS and letting these PORTLAND politicians off the hook.
First of all, not everyone chooses to be homeless. The homeless are humans like all of us, and they have feelings. There are bad people that may not even be homeless. You cannot judge someone you don’t even know. You have no idea if there are sex offenders in this camp, or where these people are from, or if there looking for jobs. Porta Potties are a must, at least two. Running water would be good too, along with a garbage disposal. Carol should be given at least 20 minutes to talk to the City Council. I have never been bothered shopping in Albany by homeless. I love Albany. ♥️
It NEEDS to not be there at all.
Bobby Roberts Yes! It NEEDS to not be there at all. So, what is your proposal to keep people from becoming homeless?????
Are you proposing much more access to good mental health care? More support for people who have such serious physical disabilities that they cannot do physical work? Of for those who lost their jobs to younger people or corporate downsizing? Yes, LET’S GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT OT THERE!
What are you willing to do about it?
Reopen the employed timber mills and watch the homeless trend dissipate. As a bonus, wildfires would become less widespread and destructive. Doing just that might not entirely be ‘problem solved,’ but hey, it’d sure be a really good start.
Minimum wage jobs tend to dry up for unskilled people. Small employers need at least a minimal skill set from their employees to justify hiring them. Many are simply incapable of filling out an application form. There really needs to be a “training wage”, not to extend beyond a certain time period, that could be used to get a worker up to speed. Maybe 1-3 months, depending on the job? Employers have x number of “strikes” allowed to prevent abuse of the system.
very few homeless people are employable. and even less of them want a job. what good will timber mills do concerning the situation?
Here’s the real deal Albany…
Carol Davies who has self proclaimed herself and agency as having unofficial oversite needs to check herself …Marvins Garden is on the front burner of every social service agency available…C.H.A.N.C.E has been out their numerous times in the trenches picking up garbage handing out meals, handing out harm reduction supplies like Narcan because despite these people who have struggled with substance abuse disorder the are still people…All lives should matter.
As far as these missing pieces are concerned …A multi agency meeting on Wednesday that had representation from nearly every city in Linn County that has social service agencies also representatives from state agencies, Albany police , Albany fire department , LCMH, LCAD and city officials were in attendance…this group of people’s sole purpose is to problem solve issues that arise with the homeless population, how they can be better supported, how outside agencies can effectively communicate amongst one another.
A second porta potty was ordered to be put in to place by the county commissioner. Albany Helping Hands will be providing a water source Friday morning. As far as the canopy goes of course they need shade but also fencing it all in, covering it up is a hindrance to the ability of Albany Police ,Linn county Sheriff, social organizations officials , city officials driving by , anyone in the community to be able to look at the area and hold the individuals in the tents somewhst responsible….even the layout of the sites, the sizes of each lot, the street the rows face was all by design …
The city of Albany has gone above and beyond what HB3115 says they are required to do to be in compliance. Most cities I have read about or seen have a spot on a side walk where someone can put up their tent but has to be taken down by 6am. Every night…I could not imagine trying to find a job when you have no access to basic human needs , having to carry your tent (your home) on your back all day long …because if you sit down chances are it will get stolen ..City of Turner allows campers to use their parking lot next to city hall with the same time restrictions but the real twist is you can only use it 72 hours out of a calendar year…The city of Albany had gone to great lengths and expense from a budget for an area that didnt exist until June of 2023…the city has put quite a bit of thought into this compared to other cites throughout the state .
I don’t know why Carol Davies feels her organization is the only one really in top of this situation because I can assure you that is not the case…like I said CHANCE has had a huge role, Family Tree Nursery has been out there multiple times, Jesus Pursuit Church field pastor was one of the first agencies to show up when the first people started arriving to the site. Linn County Mental Health is going outreach , Albany Helping Hands is housing 2 that started out there and have helped them transition and get wrapped around with needed services and resources…
These agencies are stretched thin with manpower and finances right now and are all doing what they can when they can…Marvins Garden was never meant to be a 1 agency oversite project…Even the police do not have official oversite despite that APD was willing to spearhead it though to make sure the city was in compliance with the new state law…the site is supossed to be self governing with hooes thst all the community agencies will come together and act as 1 large social service organization …
Anyway bottom line is I don’t know why Carol Davies is saying she has oversight..maybe it’s because they let her name it Marvins Garden and so she thinks that makes it her project, maybe she is hoping enough people will think this is a true statement and she can ask for a larger piece of the limited funding for her organization…If you are one of the ones that are complaint and not coming with a possible solution then you are really just whining , gas lighting , and must live for drama ..
You want change , be the change , make a monetary donation to one of the many organizations they are all tax deductions for you…or better yet make a more valuable donation of your time and volunteer at one of these agencies that are doing the best they can with what they have…end of rant. ..Hasso great article as always if you want to talk or want some more information that is unfiltered and unbiased regarding the ongoing and continuing to grow homeless situation in Albany ….respond here and I will get hold of you privately, and also a
shout out to Shayla from the democratic herald …both of these reporters have done a great job trying to keep the community informed and up to date…Shayla you know how to get hold of me if you have questions
You get what you vote for. Plenty of money for Ukraine, drugs flowing into the country, civil unrest, two tier justice system, open boarder, this is what you voted for. This is the transforming of America you voted for. The government take over of the middle class. When the middle class is define by 6 figure salary, where does that leave you? Tent please!
:)
The main problem with these temporary fixes is that they do not help the homeless! Supporting the shelter and making a camp is a waste of funds. As everyone has pointed out is that, not all people are homeless are because of bad behavior. Creating colonies of a diverse homeless population is also a waste of time and inefficient in offering a more productive solution. Women, men, couples, families, drug addicted, criminal and mentally ill should be addressed individually at separate locations. Abuse and continued negative behavior is hard to monitor in this chaotic environment. Peg is right that there are registered sex offenders living on the block due to the houses that are used for released inmates and the ones living in the shelter permanently. It is an extreme likelihood that there are unregistered sex offenders living in the camp too as some live off the grid. Separating the homeless would also help more people with prison histories integrate back in to society quicker than living with other offenders and the vulnerable homeless. The issue that no one has spoken of is that, soon living in a tent will not be reasonable once bad weather starts. Even living in recreational trailers and RVs during the fall and winter is highly torturous due to the cold.
Are there really so many sex offenders living in the camp? It should be easy to find out.
I bet there are a lot more living within a mile of you. Or living undetected as a respected professional or a pillar of the community.
While I 100% agree with the fact that there are sexual predators undetected in our community. The fact is that the homeless are left to defend for themselves against all crimes. Lawlessness is the one of the reasons homelessness is so hard to address. They suffer the lost of their possessions, as well as mental, physical and sexual abuse without recourse on a regular basis. We can try to put a positive spin on anything to justify our actions. But denying the facts and wearing blinders is directly and greatly hindering our efforts to help the helpless despite everyone’s good intentions.
Has anybody who responded to this actually stopped to think why Albany and the surrounding areas have so much homeless people, besides the fact of being out of work? Has anybody ever consider the fact that Oregon’s rent is extremely too high? Nobody can afford to live even in a small studio or a 1 bedroom apt without having to spend well over $1,000.00 just for a studio? Give me a break. Even if some people that are homeless and are able to get a job, will they still be able to afford the rent here? Probably not!!! At least take that into consideration please. Thank you.
Agreed
No matter your opinion on the homeless, the only way to solve the problem is to address basic human needs – water, food, shelter- and provide needed resources to help people back onto their feet. Judging them fixes nothing and diminishes our own humanity.
This is concerning and if you look at the facts everywhere that has been catering to these homeless encampments are suffering from increases in crime and businesses shutting down. People who work hard shouldn’t continue enabling those who don’t want to work. Albany doesn’t need another tax to pay for homeless people to not work. It’s obviously not working just look at California, Washington, and Portland. Our politicians are failing the American people and obviously don’t care about our safety or the fact that they are creating two classes, the poor and the elites. None of these officials that are voted in live in the areas they are implementing these policies! People need to remember our politicians work for us not themselves. We pay them in taxes to do a job and we the people need to enforce that and fighting with one another isn’t getting us closer to standing up to our government!! Also I think it’s very important to remember that you can’t help someone if they don’t want to help themselves, it only creates a give me more mentality and an entitled society
Better yet how about we take all this money and waste it on an island, donate materials for them to choose to build buildings/homes or they can choose to live in their tents keep everything decriminalized on the island so they can do what they want still. Then we solve the problem of they get what they want and the people who want to live in a safe society and not have to worry about cleaning up their trash, hones being broken into and stuff being stolen stay where we are at and still thrive! And if the ideology people who like to continue voting in the policies of the ones who work pay for the ones who don’t, can choose to live on that island too because your literally destroying cities one by one then move when things get scary. I don’t understand why this Idiocracy goes on! Personally I know both sides because I was homeless too once and majority of these people don’t want to change but will always be happy to take your money. I went from living on the streets, to sleeping in my car to getting my own place because I wanted better. I work hard to try and have the best life possible and I am sick of my tax dollars being wasted on people, who trash my town, use it on drugs, and do criminal acts! That doesn’t make me heartless, it just means I’m not stupid!! People smarten up
Amen !
There has been help from business and community members which i would like to semd out a huge THANK YOU FROM EVERYONE DOWN HERE AT MARVIN GARDENS! Next on the agenda those of you that most likely claim to be some sort of godly perspn ( christian) yet sit there and pass judgement on those less fortunate than you whether it be from past mistakes or poor choices made or things that are out of their control that have caused them to be in the situation they’re in, who are you to sit there on your pedestal and act like anybody is less than you? Looking at the big picture the person that is less than anyone else is a person passing judgment and making rude comments about other people publicly. that’s called slander! I guarantee you that not one of us down here woke up one day was like hey I think today I want my career choice for life is going to be a homeless person and not being able to meet my own basic needs without help to Get Up On My Feet Again that wasn’t our goal so for you to sit there and say that we are getting what we want that we’re moving off of other people that we have a bunch of trash down here and that this is just basically a drug run for everybody is asinine have you spent any time down here have you came down here and hung out and bought drugs and got high with everybody I’m going to guess the answer to that is no you’re one of those people that drive by here and turn your noses up or make rude comments or shake your heads know at us and trying to make us feel lower about ourselves than we already feel! Like everyone else has said how about you try being part of the solution stop creating a bigger problem I’m glad that you got to live in your nice little life and be comfortable always and never know what it’s like to struggle the common sense should say that that’s not how life is for everybody! And in fact you’re absolutely wrong about the people down here everybody down here whether they’re looking for a job have a job or taking care of their criminal stuff trying to get that taken care of in Life or medical stuff everybody is working on something so for you to say that nobody’s doing anything down here again is a bald-faced lie and until you come down here and see for yourself keep your mouth shut stop putting other people down and trying to put people in the lower position they already feel you are above nobody you were not better than anybody just because you don’t feel the need to help people doesn’t mean you have to help keep them down
i have no sympathy for homeless people. they leave trash and excrement whereever they hang out on public property. they have NO RESPECT for public property, none whatsoever. ….and the public keeps feeding them. and giving them cash for alcohol. explain that to me!