Concord Growing Homeless Problem Up for Debate
Categories: Featured, Focus on Concord
Written By: Mayor Concord California
As if the Mayor didn’t already have his hands full with taxes, hookers, cranksters, and internet scandal. Bill Shinn is having to open up the debate on the land use plan of the Naval Weapons Station and making room for the growing homelessness problem. I though his “Quit Having Sex” policy was going to do the trick but I guess not.
City leaders are debating how to accommodate some of the county’s homeless population on the shuttered Concord Naval Weapons Station.
City Council members are trying to decide whether Concord should put $25 million into a trust for homeless services and housing throughout the county, or instead approve a plan for 260 “homeless” housing units on the former military base. The federal government, through its base closure laws, requires that communities overseeing a base closure dedicate part of the land or money made off it to homeless causes.
Required by law…Looks like Billy better figure something out quick. Nothing I heard about in the land use discussions had anything to do with the homeless. Lots of clustered villages, road construction and parks but nothing for the Concord homeless.
But the best quote from Bill Shinn came later in the article.
“Yet we have the experts here telling us that people only stop being homeless if they have permanent housing, so I’d just like more information.”
I don’t know about you Bill but that just sounds obvious and I wouldn’t need an expert to tell me!
I would think that creating jobs and putting these people into drug rehab and giving them other support mechanisms would be the key.
There are about 4,000 homeless people countywide, and in a given year 10,000 to 12,000 utilize services offered by soup kitchens, food banks or the like, said Councilman Bill Shinn.
“We have to be careful when we talk about the homeless — they’re not under bridges and peeing on trees,” he said. “That’s a stereotype.”
I’ve read many stories in the Contra Costa Times and on other local blogs about homeless people sleeping under bridges and peeing on trees. First off, under a bridge is a great place to sleep if you don’t have a home and where else are these people supposed to go pee? Sure we don’t have the issues like in cities like San Francisco where people are defacating in the streets but to say that homeless people don’t pee on trees is a bit ridiculous. People with homes pee on trees if their drunk enough.
This is going to be an interesting story to follow. What Concord decides to do is going to have a major impact on the city. You can throw the buzz word “World Class” into it if you want but I doubt it will be anything close.
Popularity: 9% [?]
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to the Mayor of Concord RSS feed!
Check out our sponsor Movie DVD Reviews
November 29th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I think the city should put the money towards support for the homeless and not towards housing. Are we going to turn part of the Naval Weapons Station into Hunters Point in SF?
November 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Good one Bill Shinn. You should really think before you speak. You just said that you spent a bunch of tax payer money to find out that homeless people are no longer homeless once they have a home.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Giving them houses isn’t going to fix them. Setting up a homeless colony outside Concord is not a good idea either. Use the money for services to get them jobs and subsidized housing. The real Mayor sounds like a piece of work.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I think this debate is going to put the city into the spotlight in many ways. The community will want a large say in what happens with the homeless people of the entire County. Since this is the largest land grab of our city, I can only imagine the surrounding cities of Contra Costa County like Richmond will want a say also.
Concord Blogger’s last blog post..Concord Growing Homeless Problem Up for Debate
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
Where did all these homeless people come from? I’d bet 99% of them are not from Concord. How did they get here and why do we have to support them?
December 6th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Yeah most are NOT from concord, Shin is a baby hes loven them homeless who he thinks can do no wrong. These are no the Andy Griffin Homeless, the sooner he learns that the better. Why may I ask are we suppporting hte counties homeless? thats a lot of money for services the county should pay for.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Stan, the city is obligated by the govt. to do something with the land that includes homeless services. These are not just Concord’s homeless, this is to support the entire county.
Concord Blogger’s last blog post..Homeless Students MDUSD
January 25th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
These homeless that are flooding our streets and parks lately really need to be taken to rehabs. Most of them are just living for their next fix or alcohol binge. This housing project isnt going to solve their problems. Take care the root of their issues first. And for god sakes, take them out of our city’s parks! It’s gotten out of control at Newhall Park!
February 25th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
[...] with the counties homeless problem is always a touchy subject. Lets face it, they’re homeless, where else are they supposed to [...]
April 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
If we provide them homes or subsidized homes, wont more homeless want to come here?
June 28th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Charity makes us feel good inside, but it also promotes laziness.
President Reagan’s policy to stop welfare to able-bodied men got my lazy ass out of the projects.
I make 6 figures now, no bull. A couple of friends from that time have houses and well-fed families. The rest stayed there and are still there, begging, stealing and abusing drugs.
It’s sad that the few people that actually need help are overshadowed by the lazy ignorant hordes that will migrate to any city that is giving away freebies.
Fair warning, Concord.
August 23rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Having a Homeless encampment in NEWHALL PARK facing Vintage Brook Senior Apartments discourages many neighborhood residents, particularly seniors and children from walking on the parks trails. I walk fast yet have been approached in a threatening manner a few times and now stay away from the rough part of the park.\
Unfortunately my apartment faces the troubled part of the park and I have to avoid my own area of the park.
This has been going on decades.
Are those in authority waiting for someone to be attacked or really hurt before doing anything to change/help/ the situation permanently?
These people curse at the top of their lungs and make animal-like noises through out the night and often wake residents.
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
PS
By all means please house the homeless and provide treatment of whatever kind they need to get on the road to safey and well being for themselves and the community. If all the counties had cities that provided real housing help for the homeless there would be no need for the homeless to single out Concord.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:27 am
[...] local homeless people in Concord are making a mess of things again. A reader sent in this email explaining how a few of them in his [...]
September 11th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Yes — Many of the homeless we see in Concord are drug addicts… and are aggressive.
BUT — Not all of them are like this. Brad is a local homless guy that hangs around my coffee shop. I stopped and talked to him today… the guy is a 50 year old Veteran, he is a father, he is healthy and looking for work.
Yes, he is a recovering addict — and says, that he still has urges. (people with homes/jobs are that are recovering have urges too).
He made some poor choices along the way with women, and jobs… and lost his house. He told me that the first month on the street was the scariest time he can remember (more frightening than war/combat). Afterall, he was a Pleasant Hill home owner and a husband.
He has been through the VA program — but because he isnt on disability, the benefits arent as helpful. Also, folks dont hire you if you dont have an address listed on your job application.
Anyway — I too am concerned about the Homeless problem in my city … but I am more concerned about failing to extend a hand to someone like Brad.
February 7th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
You know I hear what people want all the time. hehe it is my job and let me say now i get tired of it sometimes but hey i get a lot done. I live in concord own a home here and yes I was even homeless here for close to 5 years. I did not use drugs can’t stand the taste of alcohol but i will not lie and say that others around me did not. But that is not a reason to push them under a rug and say they are not there. Everyone has an option on all things but i find most don’t know half as much as they think they do. They read reports and this or that but I myself have not seen anything that has ever had the whole story about anything.
I have found that one there has and all ways will be homeless. I talk to a lot of them when I was there and lol I found a few of them that wanted the homeless that was around there homes WHEN THEY HAD THEM. I can say for myself I thought that it could not have ever happened to me but oh well it did and I was happy that the people that wanted all the funding for human services cut or stopped all together did not get there way. Housing might not be the best way to help. I have found in the work I do and the life I have had up until now is to put support services in place and staff them with people that know what they are supporting. Now how many of you have called an 800 number trying to get something done and end up no closer to a resolution. I can say that most of us have. They need people that know there job on the front lines. That I hate to say is hard to come by. But it is the best and most cost effective way to deal with most problems. Give them away to leave or move and they will some will not but you will find that in all people in all places. And they I guess can be moved we pay people to do that. Just give them housing and some may put it to good use and get themselves to a place they want but I know most will not and all you will do is move the problems there and just make it that much harder for everyone.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:55 am
I left Concord 15 years ago for warmer weather in Southern California. I know how much low Cal is hated by Nor Cal, so I shudder to mention that here.
I remember when Nehall Park was a family-friendly park. The homeless problem is so severe there now that many residents have given up the park to the homeless. I hope that something can be done to help these folks get on their feet again. It would be tragic if they had no future beyond that park and settling for a dangerous lifelife. It saddens me to see my home town go the way of many of the cities down here.
BTW, you can vist my Wordpress blog for my business here: Long Beach Air Conditioning
John’s last blog post..Choosing Long Beach Air Conditioners