I was out of town when I wrote Monday about the latest plan to rid Simpson Park of unauthorized encampments. On Tuesday the bike took me there to look around.
The first thing I noticed when I stopped by the Hub City Village construction site last Saturday was the concrete pool to the right of the entrance.
Given the reports last week on conditions in “Marvin’s Garden,” it was clear that Albany’s designated camping site for homeless people would have to be shut down.
Four years after the City of Albany condemned a house at 610 Sherman St. and then had it demolished, the still vacant lot has new owners and is being prepared for construction.
One year ago, trying to comply with state law, Albany set up a designated homeless camping site on two city-owned lots near Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street and called it Marvin’s Garden. The place has turned into a big trouble spot, and city officials are trying to figure out what to do next.
The Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision upheld the right of cities to prohibit camping on public property. But don’t expect the ruling to make a difference in what you see on Albany streets.
Helping Hands floats proposal for housing
For a reason shrouded in the mist of long ago, the City of Albany owns three lots in the same block as the Albany Helping Hands homeless shelter. The shelter has an idea of how the lots could serve a useful purpose, and it’s not to house people in ragtag tents.
Tags: apartment block, Helping Hands, homeless, housing, Jackson and Ninth, Marvin's Garden