Ed. note: We’ve been talking about the Safe Haven tent community a lot lately, as Heather Dillon’s excellent three-part series concluded on Tuesday, and she provided a SPlog update on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the powers that be continue to endorse short-sighted “solutions” that punish the homeless, so we need to keep this issue at the forefront. The Public i‘s Neil Parthun contributed the following, which is a great primer on the situation, and includes an update from this week’s City Council meeting (Safe Haven resident Coyote is pictured at right, addressing the Council).
The national housing crisis has led to thousands of families losing their homes. The rise in homelessness has contributed to the increase in tent communities across the United States as a grassroots solution to the problem.
NOWHERE TO GO IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
This crisis has also impacted Champaign County, Illinois, with the closure of Autumn Glen apartments in Rantoul and Gateway Studios in Champaign due to the landlord’s non-payment of bills. The closure of Autumn Glen and Gateway Studios were only the latest examples of the decline of affordable low income housing in Champaign. To further compound matters, the City of Champaign also allows for landlords to discriminate and not rent to tenants if they are using Housing and Urban Development Section 8 housing vouchers.
The City of Champaign does not have any shelters where a person can simply get a bed for the night, only transitional centers which require entrance into a program if one qualifies. Most of these transitional centers are at capacity already or have extensive waiting lists. Other transitional centers have rules that end up excluding many homeless from eligibility. Champaign’s social services also face the additional difficulties as the City of Champaign has pulled funding from homelessness service programs over the past year. Due to these various challenges, many homeless do not see this as a viable or dignified solution.
TENT COMMUNITY ROOTS
According to many homeless, Champaign can be a very dangerous place to camp alone. As a result of this danger, a group of about 12 homeless men and women came together organically in an area near the Catholic Worker House to camp together in safety.
On June 8, 2009, the Champaign police department came to investigate complaints from the neighbors. The police began video taping the community and came onto Catholic Worker House property without permission. When asked why the officers were video taping and coming onto the property without permission, one of the officers stated that he “could do what [he] want[s].”
When a member of the tent community blocked the camera from filming, he was given a citation for obstructing a peace officer. The same resident tossed his cell phone to a friend in an attempt to document the officers’ behavior. He was subsequently given a citation for assault as the officer alleged the phone was thrown at his head.
The police harassment brought allies and the tent community together in solidarity. The tent community was renamed Safe Haven and became a safe, dignified grassroots solution to end homelessness.
Safe Haven moved to the back yard of the Catholic Worker House and quickly adapted rules from another successful community called Dignity Village in Oregon. Safe Haven promotes a safe, clean and dignified community life for the homeless and is run democratically by the people living there. The residents dutifully abide by the rules and have created an excellent low-cost solution to homelessness.
THE FIGHT BEGINS
By June 23, the City of Champaign stated that the Catholic Worker House and Safe Haven were violating the zoning ordinances that prohibited outdoor living. The city continued their offensive when City Council member Tom Bruno stated in the News-Gazette that Safe Haven was a “political statement” and the News-Gazette had an editorial titled “Time to fold up tent city.” Throughout the entire discussion, the City Council has used the local media to speak with activists rather than addressing the activists directly.
On June 30, the Catholic Worker House had a routine fire code inspection. Approximately an hour before, the City notified the Catholic Worker House that additional building inspectors would be doing a more detailed inspection. These inspections found a host of code violations that must be corrected by Aug. 3 or the Catholic Worker House will be condemned. A condemnation would end the six-day-a-week meal program and the housing assistance provided at the Catholic Worker House. Also, the City zoning administration also told the residents of Safe Haven that they had to be off the property by July 17 or they would face fines of $750 per day.
Local housing activists believe that this is an overt attack on both organizations. It is selective enforcement of the law because the Catholic Worker House has given a site to Safe Haven. The City of Champaign knew for over a year about the deteriorating conditions of Gateway Studios and never sent inspectors to make sure the building was up to code. Multiple other buildings in Champaign would also fail such inspections if the City chose to enforce all such regulations.
Activists showed up at the July 7 City Council meeting to address the Champaign City Council about how the City was demanding the dismantling of Safe Haven but was not providing any alternative solutions. Some activists discussed the successful tent communities and that Safe Haven would like with the City to see if “whether or not the city is willing to address the changing social and economic landscape in town” in order to create a viable and dignified solution to the homelessness crisis in Champaign County.
Other activists discussed the tax incentives given by the City Council to a local developer whose wife is on the City Council. The City gave $3.7 million in tax incentives for the building of a new commercial/residential development called M2 as well as the City agreeing to pay for a near $12 million parking deck.
Multiple residents of Safe Haven told the City Council that Safe Haven was their only option. One resident going by the name Coyote told his story about becoming homeless after losing his wife to illness. He stated that Safe Haven is a lifeline that is keeping him alive and giving him something to fight for.
The City has yet to commit to official meetings with Safe Haven while threatening the existence of the community and not developing any alternatives. As one of the Council members said on July 7: “If the City wanted [Safe Haven] gone, it would be.” By giving the ultimatum that Safe Haven must be gone by July 17, it appears the City is keeping their word.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Contact the Champaign City Council members (click the links below to send them emails).
- Ask them to meet with Safe Haven
- Ask them to work with Safe Haven to develop a dignified solution like adapting the zoning laws to allow for Safe Haven’s presence in the community
- Ask them to work on developing adequate low-income housing in Champaign