Manteca is moving forward with its efforts to secure 8.1 acres for a holistic approach to homeless issues that could set the stage for the enforcement of anti-camping laws.
City Manager Toby Wells indicated staff is following council’s direction to secure the surplus redevelopment agency land fronting South Main Street between BF Funsten Flooring and Extra Space Storage. The council has conceptually embraced a multi-faceted approach for the site that includes:
*Establishment of a navigation center that provides services and support to help homeless to transition back from living on the streets to be able to support themselves in a manner that allows them to secure housing. Services run the gamut from dealing with addictions, mental health counseling, and mentoring in financial management to learning skills needed to secure employment.
*Opening a drop-in homeless shelter to meet Ninth District Court of Appeals requirements that will allow the city to have police strictly enforce ant-camping laws providing there are open beds that the homeless are not using at a shelter.
*Putting in place “tiny houses” for transitional housing.
Elected leaders have made it clear at every public juncture that the homeless operations need to be concentrated on the east side of the parcel and separated from the area fronting Main Street using a masonry wall to make access from Main Street to the shelter and navigation center impossible.
Neighbors directly across Main Street have indicated they take little comfort in the promise of a masonry wall. They argue that the mere presence of a homeless shelter in the vicinity will lure homeless not willing to enter programs to congregate nearby on sidewalks, parking lots such as Sunday at the Mission Ridge shopping center, as well as parking and living in vehicles parked on nearby streets.
The access to the homeless facilities would be from Carnegie Court meaning homeless will be passing through the heart of the Manteca Industrial Park.
Even though there is not a permanent homeless shelter in place, Manteca Police are still doing what they can to clear out encampments that are clearly illegal within the parameter of the federal district court’s decision.
That includes illegal encampments along freeway right-of-way. Such encampments under the court’s rules in almost all cases need to be posted a number of days in advance before being cleared out.
Last week Manteca Police coordinated the removal of a homeless camp of under a dozen homeless encamped along the Highway 99 freeway at the base of the southeast portion of the Cottage Avenue overcrossing.
They had gained access by cutting through chain link fencing placed by Caltrans.
Crews cleared out debris, garbage and human waste.
By Monday, however, at least one homeless individual returned setting up shelter literally within several yards of trucks and cars traveling 65 mph plus in the south lanes of Highway 99.
The front half of the South Main Street property could eventually see affordable housing in the same vein as The Juniper Apartments next door to the high-end Tesoro Apartments on Atherton Drive were workforce occupants pay a maximum percentage of their earnings in rent.
Several council members, including Charlie Halford, say they are open to possible other municipal uses for the part of the parcel along South Main Street such as a new police station.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
