Valley's homeless issue still not addressed
Dec. 24—A number of people mingled among a collection of multi-colored tents and makeshift shelters on a recent late afternoon at an informal homeless camp in Clarkston.
Smoke from an unknown source hung in the sky over the camp cordoned off by plastic orange fencing. About 30 people occupy about 25 tents on the half-acre, according to an estimate earlier this month.
Every five minutes or so, an individual entered or exited the site immediately west of Walmart that is on the undeveloped city of Clarkston right of way for 10th Street.
Most were wearing heavy coats. One was walking a dog. A backpack was slung over the shoulders of another person, who carried books.
Soon, a city of Clarkston code enforcement officer arrived for reasons he declined to share.
The temporary neighborhood that formed in early November when Clarkston closed Arnold Park where homeless people had been camping has become the focal point of the homeless debate.
It's a symptom of broader issues in the community. Almost every new form of housing proposed to provide more options for homeless individuals in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley has faced stiff opposition.
To at least one homeless advocate, the problem and solution are obvious.
Home building virtually stopped during the 2008 recession when the housing bubble burst, and since that time, the pace of building new residences hasn't matched demand, said Michelle King, a volunteer founder of the Youth Resource Center, which opened three years ago in Lewiston.
The center is a place where children from the ages of 12 through 17 years old can stay when their homes are not safe.
"If we are not building housing, then you need to be zoning where your homeless camps are going to go, because there won't be just one and it won't fit on a half-acre," King said.
High prices are making it difficult for families to afford housing. And without shelters for adults, homeless men and women have nowhere to escape the weather even when wind, rain, snow and cold temperatures heighten the risk for hypothermia and other illnesses.
Circumstances at the camp are dangerous. Hazards include the use of propane heaters for warmth. City of Clarkston officials are tolerating the camp only on an interim basis and, citing liability issues, have opposed attempts by homeless advocates to provide basic amenities such as a warming tent and portable restrooms on the premises.
"The encampment ... is decidedly not a solution to the homelessness issue," said Clarkston Mayor Monika Lawrence in a statement last week.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that unless there are adequate shelter beds available, the unhoused cannot be excluded from all public property, she said.
"At this time, the city has few options as there is no other public property available within the city limits," Lawrence said.
Business owners near the camp, including those sympathetic to the challenges homeless individuals face, are worried. Camp residents are using their customer restrooms and depositing human waste in their dumpsters.
There has been a report, Lawrence said at a city council meeting, that an elderly woman living in a house near the encampment awoke to find a man standing in her bedroom. She ran to a neighbor's house to call the police. When law enforcement arrived, the man was reportedly passed out in her bed.
What happens next for the valley's homeless population involves decisions by elected officials and work by not-for-profit groups. At least three projects are in various stages:
The not-for-profit Adult Resource Center is hoping to open a low-barrier homeless shelter in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in a permanent location as early as September. Low-barrier shelters typically allow those who don't pose a threat to themselves or others to stay at the facilities. High-barrier shelters have more rules.
Financing has been secured by Horizon Housing Alliance and Catholic Charities to construct an apartment complex for low-income families on a lot near the Clarkston homeless camp. But that housing is stalled because of an "immediate emergency zoning ordinance" imposed by Clarkston's city council.
UGM has submitted a building permit application for a 92-bed, high-barrier homeless shelter on Lewiston's Snake River Avenue. If the process proceeds as UGM hopes, construction could start as early as January and be finished in 12 to 18 months.
As work on those longer-term solutions proceeds, the question of how long the city of Clarkston will tolerate the homeless camp near Walmart is constantly in the background.
Adult Resource Center
When Wendy Geiger was working as a corrections officer in Asotin County, she witnessed the struggles of the homeless.
One elderly man was so miserable on the streets in the winter that he threw a rock through the window of a business so he would be arrested, said Geiger, president of the Adult Resource Center board.
Being housed in jail was the only way he could sleep in a warm bed, Geiger said.
A woman once opted to sleep on a long wooden bench in the jail lobby because she had nowhere to go, Geiger said.
Those experiences drive her involvement as president of the board of the Adult Resource Center.
The group wants to establish a low-barrier overnight shelter with about 20 beds in a brick-and-mortar location this fall, she said.
The center would be staffed with at least two employees and be open at night 365 days a year. Individuals would be allowed to sleep there as long they follow rules designed to be sure they didn't pose a danger to themselves or others.
The group would draw on what it learned in the winter of 2021-2022 when it was housed at the Salvation Army in Lewiston on a temporary basis.
Making the plans a reality is going to require the group to overcome at least two hurdles. The group is working on securing a location. And less than 10% of the money needed to open it has been raised.
"Our leadership team understands the urgency of addressing the needs of the unhoused in our community and are actively seeking resources and funding to meet that need," according to a December news release issued by the group.
"Despite the challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing services in the community that are long term and sustainable," according to the news release.
Clarkston Estates along Port Drive
Horizon Housing Alliance and Catholic Charities are partnering on a 72-unit apartment complex for households that earn 60% or less of the average median income in Asotin County.
Families leaving homelessness would be given priority as tenants at the complex that would be called Clarkston Estates. Services such as mental health counseling, health care and employment assistance would be available on site. The apartments would have a playground, barbecue patio, bike storage and room for classes.
The financing for the site has been secured. But a city of Clarkston emergency zoning ordinance has stalled the project.
"We do not need local funding or special favors; we simply need city officials to follow their land use rules and engage with us to resolve their concerns," said John Pilcher, president of Horizon Housing Alliance, in a statement issued last week.
The city is working with Catholic Charities and Horizon Housing Alliance on affordable housing, Lawrence said.
"We believe they can and will be important partners on this issue," she said.
One of the municipality's concerns has been not having enough property for commercial development.
The not-for-profits are willing to dedicate about 3 acres for commercial uses, Pilcher said.
"We are always happy to consider appropriate commercial uses that fit with our housing communities," he said. "However, tax credit financing and state housing trust fund dollars limit what we can pay for."
Additionally, city officials have wondered if there is a site better suited to the project.
The proposed site was selected based on its proximity to employment, supermarkets, stores, transit and schools, Pilcher said.
"The current site competed very well and we have not found another property like it in Clarkston," he said. "Even if another property did exist, our financing is tied to this location and could not be easily switched."
The land has not yet changed ownership because the building permits are not in hand, Pilcher said.
While the process has been frustrating, "we are extremely grateful for the patience of the current land owner and the state agencies that are funding the project," he said.
UGM's Lewiston site
Across the river in Lewiston, UGM is preparing a site along Snake River Avenue where it plans to construct a high-barrier homeless shelter.
The organization is awaiting approval on a building permit application it has submitted to the city of Lewiston.
The shelter would serve men and women, including mothers with children, who are motivated to stop living on the streets and willing to follow UGM's rules, said Phil Altmeyer, executive director of UGM in Spokane.
Those residing at the shelter would be required to be drug- and alcohol-free, complete chores, and attend regular chapel services as well as be making progress toward independence.
UGM expects the individuals it helps to pursue goals such as finding permanent housing, landing work or completing education that improves job skills.
The facility will be staffed 24 hours a day and only serve meals to those living at the shelter.
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Geiger, of the Adult Resource Center, supports all of the efforts. Each one, Geiger said, has the potential to meet the needs of different people.
"We need more solutions," she said, "because it's not a one-size-fits-all (situation)."
Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.
