A Ukiah resident reached out to us and sent a picture of a sight seen on Saturday, August 7, 2021, at Ukiah’s Pear Tree Shopping Center. The picture depicted a homeless man who had constructed a ramshackle elevated platform complete with a pop-up for shade and festooned with fabrics to maximize coverage. The man, clearly snoozing, was nude, with genitals in full display.
The Ukiah Police logs, published daily on their website, indicate UPD officers responded to the scene after the man’s presence was reported, and by the time officers arrived, he was “fully dressed” and the man left upon request.
If one was to peruse the police logs published by MendoFever, it becomes evident UPD officers are asked to respond to encampments regarding incidents involving the homeless every single day. In creek bed, to storefront, to parking lots, Ukiah Valley’s local homelessness problem has proven persistent and problematic for all parties.
In 2018, the County of Mendocino hired Robert G. Marbut, Jr., a nationally known American homelessness consultant, and professor to assist in Mendocino County’s support of the local homeless population. It is worth noting President Donald J. Trump actually appointed Marbut as the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, helping coordinate programs across 19 federal departments.
Marbut’s report, which can be read here, identifies some unique challenges Mendocino County faces when addressing homelessness.
Some of the noteworthy challenges include Mendocino County’s approach towards the homeless has been “a series of one-off decisions.” Marbut proposed that a comprehensive solution to homelessness lies in decision making at the strategic level.”
Marbut also described Mendocino County’s approach towards homelessness as focusing on the “symptoms” of homelessness (such as lack of food, clothing, and emergency shelter) instead of addressing the “triggers” of homelessness (such as addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and domestic violence)
Regarding substance abuse, Marbut’s analysis described “a dearth of substance abuse and mental health treatment” available, which Mendocino County residents have hoped Measure B funding would go towards bolstering.
Just this year, after receiving funding from California’s Project Homekey, the County of Mendocino announced $10,000,000 would be used to renovate a Ukiah motel to bolster transitional housing opportunities for the homeless population.
Also, last year on August 5, 2020, a 34-year-old man was released from Soledad State Prison as per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s early release program. Two days later this young man succumbed to an overdose in a Ukiah homeless encampment calling to question the supports the State of California provides for those released from behind bars.
The homeless question has shadowed California Governor Gavin Newsom and has become a fundamental critique levied against him and his administration by candidates in the upcoming recall.
The homeless are people with lives and profound struggles. Sometimes seen with scorn, sometimes with sensitivity, the Marbut report said the solutions to solve the crisis will require a systemic transformation of society’s approach rather than a reactive approach our institutions have come to know.
