Need housing? We’ve got it! ity to expand its market? Additional air service. “As a younger person, I think it’s extremely important to me, as someone that’s chosen to live here, to have those options and that connectivity to the rest of the state and other markets. I think, in terms of attracting entrepreneurs, it’s going to be vital, as well.”
Finding a home
Mental health, drug abuse and the economy are among the most visible contributors to the county’s homeless problem. The Department of Health and Human Services provides some relief for the down and out, as do private organizations that offer shelter and some treatment programs. While reliable statistics are difficult to come by given the reclusive nature of the county’s homeless population, the Humboldt Housing and Homeless Coalition’s 2013 Point in Time Count found 1,579 people living without a home on the night of Jan. 28, 2013. Of those, more than 600 reported staying in Eureka. Can the county do more to help these people off the streets? Bass said she started a community group — consisting of elected officials, Eureka Police Chief Andy Mills, business owners, service workers and others — to address Eureka’s homeless issues last year. It began as a venting process but she and others have learned a lot about homelessness. “How do we start making little visible changes?” she asked. “Every effort I’ve seen in regard to making things better … seems to try to solve the problem. And it’s not going to be something we solve. What we can do is mitigate and make improvements.” She said learning about the community’s homeless — a tactic touted by Mills — is the first step. She said assisting people in connecting with families and employment is crucial, as well as education of the community at large. “You’ve got what we started to call vagrants, the folks that are the visible ones in the community who may not even be homeless,” she said. “We are a very giving, tolerant community. … Perhaps the best thing we can do is instead of handing someone money, give them other avenues to get the appropriate help.” The county should also focus on affordable housing, Bass said, not just for young couples and families, but singleoccupancy residencies for low-income individuals. That means preserving mobile home parks and converting hotels to single-unit rooms — “Opportunities for people who don’t need a very big living space, but they will benefit with having a roof over their head and being able to take care of their needs.” Kerrigan got choked up as he repeated
an anecdote from a Eureka school teacher who told him that one quarter of her students lived out of cars. Pointing out of his campaign office window, he said many homeless — particularly families — stay out of sight. “Families come into city parking lots, for example, at dusk and then leave early in the morning at dawn. And their kids do their homework in the back of their cars. And they’re some of the nicest, hardest working families you could meet.” Kerrigan said the county needs to focus on services to provide connections with families, transitional housing and medical care, focusing on people who want to get out of a homeless situation. “Then it becomes a lot easier for public safety to enforce community behavioral standards and ordinances, rather than our police department feeling overwhelmed by the amount of homelessness.” Raising the minimum wage — something Kerrigan said he’s supported for Eureka — would incentivize work. And he said he’s spoken with Mills about looking into designated camping areas for the homeless.
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How ’bout that General Plan?
Humboldt County’s General Plan Update has been in the works for 14 years, and while the board of supervisors is scheduled to finish its review this year, some say it should have been finished years ago. The board’s decision to return a 2012 draft general plan to the planning commission last year raised controversy, as have some of that group’s proposed changes. None of the county’s political factions are going to completely agree on a document that’s going to guide how the county grows and develops for the next 20 years — but what can (and should) the board do to finish the GPU? Bass said everyone is ready to see the GPU completed. “I appreciate all the passion that’s in this community,” she said. “That’s something that makes us very special. But it also makes certain projects difficult. It’s not as easy as it looks.” If the board could focus singularly on the GPU, the supervisors could probably finish it sooner, Bass said, but that’s not realistic. “Yes, the general plan is very important; it is but one of our chores to deal with. … But there’s continually policy being made, and neighborhoods that need help.” Kerrigan’s frustrated with the current board’s review of the general plan. “[The supervisors] need to insert back the goal of the countywide trail system,” he said. “They need to insert back the incentives to develop within the cities and where we have infrastructure, which will continued on page 17 northcoastjournal.com • NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014
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