News, Politics, Real Estate

City Council to Nickelsville: Stop Being Homeless by Sept. 1 or Face Eviction

“No one wants simply to displace campers,” goes the letter, whose sole clearly articulated objective is to displace campers. Otherwise, it refers to emergency shelters (which for many of the campers, homeless for years and proud of their limited possessions, would be step backwards) and permanent housing, of which there is too little available to accommodate Nickelsville residents, even if they were granted priority. Continue reading City Council to Nickelsville: Stop Being Homeless by Sept. 1 or Face Eviction

News, Politics

City Council Unveils Tent-City Plan to End Homelessness

In April, in a dark mood, I predicted that “the Council will do nothing substantive over the next several months.” I was incorrect. In fact, the Council adopted unanimously this week Council Bill 117288, which spells out “standards that a religious facility is expected to maintain when operating encampments.”

That’s how the Council’s news release puts it. Continue reading City Council Unveils Tent-City Plan to End Homelessness

Health, News, Politics, Real Estate

City Council to Homeless: Hang in There, Guys!

The boldness of our City Council sometimes leaves me breathless. Recently they announced that, having failed to address the existence of the roving homeless camp Nickelsville, they plan to “review alternatives to the Sunny Jim site” suggested by Mayor McGinn as a temporary encampment, which plan has since bogged down due to concerns about site contamination, which, you know, as a former Sunny Jim products consumer, I’d like to know substantially more about. Continue reading City Council to Homeless: Hang in There, Guys!