Ordinance to move homeless out of public spaces gets final hearing April 29
This article is brought to you by Moore's Home Health and Medical Supply. For more than 68 years, Moore's Home Health has been Howard County's leading provider of assistive and adaptive home medical equipment and supplies. Call 765-454-5210 or visit Moore's at 608 W. Markland Ave. to let them help meet your healthcare needs!
Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore may not have anticipated opposition to his recent effort to move the homeless off of public property, but in light of the pushback, he invited local nonprofit and community leaders to speak with him on the topic last week.
A collection of more than 50 people – most of whom work with the homeless population daily – gathered at Grace United Methodist Church on April 18 to give input that the city had not sought before seeking to pass a new law that would take and secure property from the homeless and force them into non-existent shelters or face an arrest and jail time.
Second Missionary Baptist Pastor Dr. William Gary opened the meeting with Matthew 25:37-40, setting the tone for the session.
"Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick? Or in prison and came to you? And the King will answer 'Surely I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of mine, you did it to me.'"
Moore opened by characterizing the meeting as "a conversation," conceding that the ordinance he has proposed doesn't resolve the homeless problem.
"This is not the solution to the problem," said Moore. "The city realizes that. And if anybody thinks that by us proposing this, this is the city saying, 'This is how we want to address, how we're going to solve, homelessness in the city of Kokomo,’ you're mistaken.
"We know it's not. It's barely even a Band-Aid. What this does is just addresses the safety and security in public places."
Moore went on to point out that Kokomo isn't alone in facing homelessness; that the problem has persisted for decades across the nation. His ordinance, he claimed, will give the city "a little more authority, a little more direction, a little more intentionality to city officials, maybe the Kokomo Police Department, that confront those in public spaces to either encourage them to move on or to find supportive services or to find shelter."
The mayor then admitted that the ordinance "gives the impression that it's criminalizing homelessness." But he countered that if space is available in the community, either at a shelter or a church, the homeless should go there.
He also conceded that the city is powerless to move a homeless individual if there is no shelter space available, as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"There's nothing really we can do except either encourage them to move or to find accommodations or direct them to supportive services if it's in the middle of the day, when any of these supportive services are available," said Moore. "And the officers will be directed to take them there."
Moore then stated that the homeless could be placed on a no trespass order if they don't comply. If they then violate the order, they could be arrested and taken into custody.
"That's the overall impetus behind the ordinance being placed, as it's allowing the city to address public safety in our public areas," said Moore.
Moore's comments were not well-received, though most kept a respectful tone and offered information the mayor and his administration had not sought before proposing the ordinance.
Local business owner Sarah Cotner was first to raise concerns.
"My biggest issue is that it seems to be based on a lot of other ordinances that never got passed," said Cotner. "(Those) communities didn't feel it was appropriate. I'm not sure why we're trying to enact something that hasn't even been followed up on in other communities as far as how successful it was."
Indeed, the language used by the city in its ordinance was "copied and pasted" primarily from a failed ordinance in Elkhart, as Moore had previously indicated, though it's failure in that community wasn't mentioned.
Cotner also raised concerns about the disposition of the possessions of the homeless who are caught up by the ordinance, specifically pets.
"(For) some people, their pet, their dog or their cat, is the only thing keeping them going in this world," said Cotner. “(A city council member) told me, 'Well, that's what the Humane Society is for.' The Humane Society is not 24 hours. They won't take a dog after hours. I just really feel like the process has not been thought out."
Moore continually retreated from Cotner's questioning, again stressing that his proposed ordinance won't fix the problem.
"This is a conversation to try to come up with a game plan for a solution," said Moore. "This isn't the solution. And maybe it's not the best. Maybe it is vague. But again, it's not the end-all. It's not the solution."
One speaker expressed concerns that driving the homeless away from public property will cause them to shelter on privately-owned land.
"If you've never been in a position where you were hungry and hadn't eaten for two or three days, or you had been not sheltered and it's pouring down rain or it's subzero temperatures or something like that, you become desperate," said the speaker. "It becomes survival mode. You do whatever you have to do to survive, and that may mean in our eyes that that's criminal activity when all they're really trying to do is survive.
"We need to remember that's who they are. They're our people. I don't want to see us sweeping something under the rug that we're going to come back and trip over later. And I don't want to see us putting it off onto somebody else to have to deal with it."
Nakeeta Catchings, founder of the Helping Our Homies, a nonprofit that works directly with the homeless, spoke out with concerns about taking property away from the homeless, especially when it is difficult to obtain something as simple as identification cards or birth certificates for them; a vital step in trying to lift them out of homelessness.
"There's a gentleman I've been working with for over four years," said Catchings. "He's illiterate. He does not have family, and we can't get his birth certificate. We can't get his ID. Then he gets picked up and goes to jail. Not by any means is it their first choice to live life like this."
Catchings went on to list actions that could be taken to actually help the homeless population, rather than push them around the community.
"A lot of people come to me, and all they want is a shower," said Catchings. "We don't have anything like that for people. And as far as them leveling up and getting jobs and things like that or a good night's sleep, a shower, or some clean clothes to help restore their dignity and their lives so they can hold their head up and walk in somewhere to get help, we need that."
According to Angie Ciski, co-chair of the Regional Planning Council on Homelessness, which encompasses five counties, including Howard, there are approximately 220 homeless individuals in the region. Of that number, all but five live in Howard County.
Debbie Norris, the coordinated entry lead for the regional planning council through United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties, explained that 83 of those homeless currently are going through an intake process to try to connect them with needed services.
The information was provided to indicate that the local and regional nonprofit community is working to address homelessness, but the City of Kokomo has not been a partner in the effort.
A speaker asked Moore what the city did before this ordinance was proposed to address homelessness. The mayor reiterated that he relies upon the police department to address the homeless.
He also acknowledged the city's direct involvement with the Kokomo Housing Authority, and then pointed to the community's unwillingness to accept new, affordable housing. He referenced a recent proposal to build affordable housing along West Sycamore Street to replace the severely dilapidated Gateway Gardens public housing project on East Hoffer Street.
"There were folks that aren't in this room that came out and said, 'We don't want more affordable housing,'" said Moore. "You're going to build and continue to add more affordable housing, and more people are going to come."
Moore also cited the city's involvement with the creation of Turning Point and his efforts to work with the Kokomo Rescue Mission. Beyond that, he acknowledged his efforts to eliminate a "tent city" in Future Park.
"Does this group think that it's my responsibility to build a facility to designate an area where people can camp and keep secure and to keep trafficking and drug activity and everything out?" asked Moore. "Or build a facility with showers and bathrooms and such? So, the word gets out to the other regions or to the Indianapolis area -- that is already sending their folks up this way -- 'Oh, Kokomo is such a giving community. I'm from Cass County. I only get two squares (meals) over there. If I come over here, I get three.'"
Moore characterized it as a delicate balance to provide needed services to the homeless currently here without attracting the homeless from other communities.
He turned back to the proposed ordinance, calling it a next step in addressing the homeless problem. It goes before the Kokomo Common Council on April 29 for a final vote. Moore insisted that he has not directed the council members to vote a certain way on the measure.
The council will convene in caucus at 5:30 p.m. before its public meeting at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. As part of the procedure, public comment will be accepted on the ordinance.