The town of Whittier reached a tentative settlement in the Orange County homeless lawsuit that would see a shelter built with 139 beds in exchange for the possibility of enforcing its curfew laws and against camping.
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, who has handled the homeless trial since 2018, has yet to approve the settlement.
The number of beds needed comes from a 2019 city-paid study, or “census,” of the homeless population in Whittier, conducted by City Net, a Bellflower-based nonprofit that helps put end to roaming at street level. The report found 231 homeless people living locally.
Whittier Mayor Joe Vinatieri said the deal would help the city deal with its homelessness crisis. Over the past year, the city and other agencies have emptied camps on the median of Whittier Boulevard and Parnell Park. The latter was closed for more than six weeks for cleaning after the park closed.
“This will be a tremendous asset in enabling us to enforce our curfew laws and our camping ordinance,” Vinatieri said. “We will be providing more beds than we currently offer, and this will be more of an opportunity to help homeless people in Whittier get beds and services. “
Whittier Area First Day Coalition currently operates a 45 offer shelter in the city, 11 of which are reserved specifically for Whittier residents.
Police officers have been limited in how they can deal with the homeless after a federal appeals court in Boise ruled in September 2018 that activities, such as sleeping, are basic human needs, and quote someone. one who does not have a house to sleep on public property constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
Finding shelter will not be easy, said Vinatieri: “It will take some time, but we are actively working on it. “
So far, city officials have identified only one possible location, a city-owned property now leased to Best RV Storage, 5913 Esperanza Ave. near the city border.
There is opposition to the location of nearby unincorporated West Whittier residents who, in July, filled the boardroom to speak out against the plan.
In the underlying Orange County lawsuit, homeless advocacy groups sued when county officials pushed hundreds of people out of tent camps in the Santa Ana Riverbed with no solution long term for their housing.
A July settlement paved the way for both providing beds for the homeless while giving law enforcement tools to Orange County to prevent more tent cities.
Brooke Weitzman, a lawyer for Catholic Worker, one of the plaintiffs, said in an emailed statement that the settlement was a good deal.
“We are delighted to see Whittier’s commitment to end all enforcement of quality of life laws and focus on steps toward lasting solutions to the housing crisis,” Weitzman wrote.
“We look forward to working with them on housing and shelter opportunities that will meet the needs of each person by keeping families together, allowing pets, ensuring enough space to comply with health advice. and security in light of COVID and minimizing the time spent in assembly shelters. ,” she said.
“As we have seen with so many other cities, if there are appropriate alternatives that take into account the needs of people with disabilities and trauma, there is no need to criminalize poverty.”
Carol Sobel, another lawyer for Catholic Worker, said the regulations would not give police carte blanche to make arrests.
“You have to have a suitable placement for someone,” Sobel said.
For example, a paralyzed person using a wheelchair cannot be taken to a shelter that only has a carpet on the floor.
Whittier resident Paul Ramirez, camp critic, said he liked the settlement.
“This is not the perfect situation, but it will go a long way in combating vagrancy on our streets and in parks,” Ramirez said.
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