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Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008

Merced to shut down homeless camp

By January, gathering place under bridge should be closed

Danny Dunn's neck tattoo reads, "Ladies love outlaws."

The 35-year-old has been in prison for grand theft auto, lives beneath the 16th Street bridge and doesn't give much thought to the city's plan to crack down on the homeless. The city is issuing warnings and, eventually, citations that might lead to jail.

"If you don't got nowhere to go, what are you going to do?" he asked as cars whizzed by near the intersection of 16th Street and Highway 59.

For him, the threat of jail is no threat at all.

Merced officials have created a coalition with churches, nonprofits and law enforcement officers to come up with a plan to keep the homeless from camping on public and private land.

"We'll never cure homelessness," Merced Police Lt. Andre Matthews said. "Maybe this will lead us to where the next answer is. This is where we're going to start."

Rather than an unannounced raid on the camps, the city is warning the homeless once a month to find a roof either at the Merced County Rescue Mission, the shelter at 15th and D Streets or with friends.

By late January, anyone left beneath the bridge or on any other public land will be forced off. City code enforcement officers will regularly walk through the popular camps to make sure no one has begun sleeping there again.

Interim city Development Services Director David Gonsalves said that the campaign is also to inform the homeless of the help that's available and clear up the misinformation that's spread through their community.

One is what time the shelter closes, he said. Many homeless, including Dunn, believe it's 4 p.m. Gonsalves said it's actually 8 p.m.

The city is acting slowly and methodically so the program works better, he explained.

"I don't want them to feel like we're attacking them," Gonsalves said. "We're not trying to be heavy-handed about this."

Merced County Rescue Mission Director Herb Opalek, a member of the coalition, said he'd offer any help possible, which includes a couple of beds, food and counseling. He's also sending some of his success stories who once slept beneath the bridge to talk with the homeless people there.

"They're known and trusted," he said. "Getting (the homeless) off the embankment is a blessing, not a curse."

Living outdoors in the winter elements is dangerous.

Every major city makes an effort to get the homeless off the streets when it hits freezing temperatures, he explained.

The coalition is trying to maintain their dignity by respecting their property and rights, he said.

The mission estimates that there are about 5,000 homeless across Merced County. Some may live in shelters or with friends, he added.

Of course, the toughest fight will be with homeless themselves, such as Dunn or his friend, Chrystal, 38.

She lives across the dry creek with her eight cats, four she owned before becoming homeless and four she's since adopted.

They saunter around as she squats and lights a cigarette. Above her bed, someone has spray-painted "determen" and "spirit."

"People look at this and they say, 'Oh my god,'" Chrystal said, her voice growing tight. "I don't particularly like living like this. What can I do about it?"

She said she can't handle going to the shelter because of claustrophobia and mental health problems. Plus, she can't take her cats.

She recognizes that some of the city's homeless cause problems. Aware of the city's plan, she's seeking another place to live with some friends. It's out in the county, farther away, along another creek, where hopefully no one can find her and the cats.

Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.