There are more homeless people on the streets right now in chico ca than there are beds available at local shelters. The city’s argument for enforcing illegal ordinances against the homeless population is that “they won’t seek shelter” even if there were enough beds at the shelter they do not or can not accommodate everyone seeking shelter. There are barriers in place that do not meet the needs of every homeless persons situation.

I would like to challenge every member of the city council to shadow a homeless person through the intake process at the Torres shelter so that they could gain a better understand of the barriers that are present. Our community needs more than a single option for sheltering the homeless … a low barrier shelter or sanctioned campground, or tiny villages are a few of the solutions put forward to city. The opposition from conservative community members and the city’s (CURRENT) government is not addressing the problem, but rather trying to punish the homeless into not being homeless … without doing anything to understand just how difficult it actually is to be homeless.