By Ken Williams | Editor

Everybody seems to be concerned about dealing with the homeless in San Diego, and two community groups in the Uptown area recently conducted public meetings to debate the hot-button issue. Meanwhile, San Diego Uptown News followed up with the Hillcrest Business Association to find out how its pilot program with the Alpha Project is working out.

The North Park Community Association and a local chapter of National Association of Social Workers called a “See Something, Say Something” meeting on July 11 at Queen Bee’s in North Park. And the Metro Community Development Corporation discussed homelessness during a meeting July 13 at the Fifth Avenue Financial Center’s ninth-floor conference room in Bankers Hill.

“Google homeless and San Diego,” Police Officer Miguel Morales told several dozen people who attended the Bankers Hill meeting. The search engine finds 17 million results almost immediately, Uptown News found.

Sgt. Dean Thomas of the Police Department’s Central Division said that San Diego’s pleasant year-around weather and reputation for helping indigents have made America’s Finest City a “destination” for the homeless on the West Coast. He also accused other Southern California counties of “dumping the homeless” on San Diego.

The faces of the homeless are often familiar to many residents, who they often encounter or see on the streets.

Both community meetings focused on what residents should do if they witness criminal behavior involving the homeless. Police officers at both gatherings urged residents to dial 911 if they see a crime occurring, or call 619-531-2000 for non-emergencies.

Some attending the North Park meeting expressed concerns about local agencies that deal with the homeless, including one location along El Cajon Boulevard near Mississippi Street where nearby residents said they were afraid to walk alone at night because the homeless congregate there after-hours. Officers urged residents to call the police to create a record of any incidents involving public safety or crime.

One resident complained about Friends of Friends, an agency that deals with the homeless who have been diagnosed with mental illness, as well as a nearby re-entry agency whose clients are felons recently released from prison.

Another North Park resident worried about groups of homeless people who gather in public spaces to drink or do drugs.

At the Bankers Hill meeting, many of the speakers talked about problems relating to Balboa Park and the “Happy Valley” area along Sixth Avenue where the homeless congregate. A 72-year-old homeowner who lives near Sixth and Ivy documented incidents on his property where his sidewalk was tagged, someone smeared poop on his house, and a “boyfriend” pounded violently on the front door in the middle of the night looking for his “girlfriend.” The man said he and his wife were terrified by the incident.

Sgt. Thomas said San Diego police have had their hands tied because the city lost two lawsuits the ACLU filed on behalf of the homeless, plus the passage of Assembly Bill 109 [bit.ly/1gMYhLa] to relieve prison overcrowding and Prop 47 that reduced some felonies [bit.ly/1MGnkJK]. One of the lawsuits pertained to “unattended property” and the other to “illegal lodging.”

Officer Morales, whose homeless beat includes Balboa Park, said the park rangers have a “no sleeping” policy. But because of the lawsuits, police officers and rangers overlook sleeping in Balboa Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. One of the problems with Balboa Park, he added, is that the park rangers are not on duty overnight.

Morales said the homeless “all know the laws … and they have the right to use the park, too.”

Like at the North Park meeting, the police officers at the Bankers Hill gathering urged the public to report any misbehaving by the homeless so there would be a record of the activity.

“We rely on a partnership with the public. If you think you are bugging us, you are not,” Sgt. Thomas said. “We really rely on you.”

Sgt. Thomas raised a few eyebrows when he urged groups to “stop the public feedings” of the homeless. He described an incident where a well-meaning church group brought a van filled with food and supplies Downtown to help the homeless, and nearly triggered a riot. “It caused a huge issue, and not only the trash,” he said. “We have more services here [than in many other cities] … and we enable the problem.”

As statistics show, about half the homeless live on the streets, and the police officers expressed their frustration that not everybody wants a roof over their heads.

“It’s hard to give people help when they don’t want it,” Sgt. Thomas said. “These are people who don’t want to conform to society or follow its rules.”

He said police have documented an uptick in property crime related to the uptick in homelessness, such as stealing bicycles or property left outside.

“As a whole,” Officer Morales said, “the transient issue has improved.”

At both meetings, residents seemed inclined to drive the homeless out of their neighborhoods without finding permanent solutions to the problem. Kicking the homeless out of one neighborhood only shifts the problem to another area.

Anthony Bernal, a candidate for the District 3 seat next year, has dealt with the homeless issue while serving as a senior member of Councilmember Todd Gloria’s staff. He touted the Housing First model to get the homeless off the street and put a roof over their heads. This program provides housing and a range of services from mental health providers to job training.

The homeless rarely fit into one category: Some are homeless because they lost their jobs and their homes; some are veterans who have fallen off the radar; some are mentally ill who have been dumped on the streets; and some are LGBT youth who have been kicked out of their homes by parents or guardians who are not supportive.

Adriana Martinez, another staffer from Gloria’s office, reminded folks to treat the homeless with compassion. “They are human beings, too,” she said. “The solution is not to ship them to Arizona.”

To which one resident retorted: “What about MY rights?”

Meanwhile, Uptown News checked in with the Hillcrest Business Association, which in April launched a $50,000 pilot program dubbed the Homeless Outreach Team with the Alpha Project and Gloria’s office to deal with the homeless issue in that community [“Homeless in Hillcrest,” Vol. 7, Issue 8 or online at bit.ly/1OwKKly].

“It is my understanding that the engagement with the homeless population has been very successful and these folks are being directed into more healthy lifestyles because of our engagement with them,” said Ben Nicholls, executive director of the HBA.

Nicholls said the Hillcrest business community is pleased so far.

“We are hearing a good amount of positive feedback from the business community about the program. There have been almost no negative comments, and the business people that I speak to see this service as a resource that they can use,” he said.

“We have produced a neighborhood information brochure that was sent to our members last week reminding them about the program and giving them some helpful tips about how best to engage the homeless folks.”

The HBA hopes the pilot program will continue in the future.

“We are working to develop a MAD [maintenance assessment district] on the east end of Hillcrest that will complement the MAD on the west end. If this occurs, we will have a permanent source of funding for this program and it will move out of the pilot phase,” Nicholls said.

“I should say that as part of creating the MAD, the HBA has surveyed all the property owners on the east end of town,” he added. “The survey reports that property owners almost universally see this as a problem and would pay to sustain this program into the future.”

—Ken Williams is editor of Uptown News and Mission Valley News and can be reached at [email protected] or at 619-961-1952.