Last week, we had three questions from readers about homeless
camps in Gilroy. We talked to Dina Campeau, a local homeless
advocate with St. Joseph’s family center. She recommended
contacting Marty Estrada at 842-6662, ext. 30, or
em******@ya***.com
regarding a homeless camp.
Last week, we had three questions from readers about homeless camps in Gilroy. We talked to Dina Campeau, a local homeless advocate with St. Joseph’s family center. She recommended contacting Marty Estrada at 842-6662, ext. 30, or
em******@ya***.com
regarding a homeless camp.
We also talked to Code Enforcement Officer Scott Barron and Gilroy Police Sergeant Wes Stanford about what people can do to be safe. Here is what they had to say.
“Homelessness is a very complex issue.,” Stanford said. “Unfortunately when all other resources fail, the ‘homeless problem’ historically is placed at the feet of law enforcement to ‘fix.'”
“Complaints involving homeless encampments, homeless individuals and homelessness cover a wide range from something as simple as what may be perceived as loitering or trespassing, to illegal occupancy of vacant buildings or structures to construction of makeshift structures or encampments on private or public property,” Barron said.
“Criminal complaints should be reported to the Gilroy Police Department. However, substandard housing complaints, blight related complaints, and accumulations of garbage or debris should be reported to Code Enforcement,” Barron said.
“If someone observes a violation handled by Code Enforcement, please have them contact us directly at 846-0264 to place a complaint. That will provide us with an opportunity to ask pertinent questions since it may be that we are not aware of the violation.”
The Gilroy Police Department holds a County Homeless Resource Counsel once a month with various local community representatives.
“The purpose of the meetings is to focus the available resources to achieve the best possible short- and long-term gains for the homeless population of Gilroy,” Stanford said.
“The problem-solving approach to law enforcement is effective, but also very time consuming,” Stanford said. “With the reduction in support staff at the Police Department officers must take on more of the burden for calls for service that formerly were referred to Community Service Officers or NRU, and that leaves less time for police officers to be part of the solution to long-term complex issues such as homelessness.”
So in response to the specific locations that were mentioned in the last Red Phone, here is what Stanford had to say:
“Code Enforcement is currently working toward a solution for the encampments along Uvas Creek west of Santa Theresa. This is a complex problem we have tackled before, but due to the hard to define property boundaries and multiple owners in that area, it takes some time and collaboration.
“The old DMV building located on the corner of Howson and Church is privately owned. Its close proximity to the recycling center, St. Joseph’s Family Center, and the bus lines that run along Monterey Road make it a central place for homeless subjects to congregate. Since the old DMV property is privately owned, the owner has to participate with law enforcement by posting signs and prosecuting for trespassing. This has not been the case to this point. We are aware of this location and the homeless magnet it has become, but as of yet we do not have a long-term solution worked out.”
Barron said the camp on Leavesley Road outside of the city boundaries should be referred to County of Santa Clara. Their main number for housing-related complaints is 299-5700.
Butterfly invasion in Gilroy
“I see tons of butterflies in Gilroy this week. And I just would like to know why and where they are going. They seem to be flying from north to south.”
Dear Fluttering, We’re glad you asked. Numerous people have called wondering if the earth had shifted on its axis or something. See page A5 in today’s Dispatch for a column on the phenomenon.
