Sherman R. Frederick
Novato Advance
A solution to the homeless situation at Lee Gerner Park in Novato has reached a point of temporary fruition. The Novato City Council heard a report on the topic at its council meeting last week.
With the approval of a federal court judge, a portion of the park has been walled off to house those who were living in the park at the time of the agreement. An area in the park was cleaned and improved for the homeless. The city and the homeless in the park are in federal court wrangling over the city’s attempt to enact camping rules in the city.
The new homeless section of the park is available to those homeless involved at the time the federal lawsuit was filed. It is not open to any homeless person.
The city recently bulldozed and cleaned up other portions of the park that were overtaken by the homeless. People complained that the encampment created an eyesore and a situation that rendered the park unusable for its traditional use. It also produced an uncomfortable environment for patrons of a nearby library and businesses.
Public Works Director Chris Blunk reported at the meeting that “significant progress” was made moving the homeless into the fenced-off area.
“There is still quite a bit of debris” in the park, he said, but it will be cleared away soon.
He reported that the vibe in the park among the homeless has been good with a “spirit of cooperation.”
Going forward, he said, new homeless campers who may come to the park will be moved away. But, he said, “it may take a few days” as “shelter operations are limited.”
He also said that many Novatoans have asked how they can help the homeless. He said people may go to novato-org/homelessness. Help is much needed, he said.
The settlement requires the city to create temporary campsites with locations for tents, storage areas, benches, tables, handwashing stations, a bathroom and bicycle racks.
The court order requires that “the temporary camp will be enclosed by a fence which will be a total of six feet high — five feet of wood fencing and one foot of lattice work — to provide airflow while maintaining privacy.”
The order allows Novato to implement a Code of Conduct for the temporary camp. People who fail to abide by the code, may be kicked out.
Among the rules residents of the Lee Gerner Park homeless encampment must obey include:
– The wearing of masks and maintaining 6-feet physical distance from others not part of their household.
– No urinating or defecating in the park.
– No social visits from non-residents.
– Obey all Lee Gerner Park rules.
– No smoking.
– No weapons.
– No aggressive behavior.
– No disorderly conduct.
– No open fires.
– No accumulation of trash.
– No racial slurs or inappropriate sexual comments.
– No profanity around children.
– No stealing.
Leave a Reply