Fremont could increase raids on homeless camps and ban overnight camping and parking

FREMONT – This city may soon join other California cities in stepping up raids on homeless people living in encampments and vehicles following recent orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Fremont City Council, which represents the Bay Area’s fourth-largest city, last week discussed the potential for changing city policy a 72-hour parking restriction for residents on city streets, a possible “oversized vehicle parking ban” for RVs parked in residential areas, and a ban on camping on public property. The council also discussed options for a everlasting ban on RVs near schools, educational institutions and churches.

Other major cities within the Bay Area have taken similar measures and made national headlines for using more aggressive methods to clear homeless encampments. San Francisco Mayor London Breed began ordering the clearance of homeless encampments this summer. The cities took motion at Newsom's direction after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave local authorities more power to clear homeless encampments. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced on Monday that town would crack down on in warehouses subject to fireplace, water or road hazards.

Newsom had previously stated that local governments that didn’t deliver results would face cuts in state funding.

Amy Huston, a homeless woman who lives in an encampment at Osgood Road and Washington Boulevard, was upset when she heard town was planning to tighten restrictions on camping. If town cleared her encampment, she wouldn't know where to go next, she said. Currently, city employees stop on the encampment weekly to select up trash, deliver hygiene products and supply other services.

“There’s nothing I can do,” said Huston, 44, who has lived there for 2 years.

The city last cleared the camp on July 9, but on Friday at the least just a few dozen residents remained in a tent camp with shopping carts, cooking equipment and other belongings. As a stray cat named “Whitey” roamed near the camp's fence, Huston recalled how she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian before she became homeless.

“Everyone is getting along. It's nice,” Huston said. “There are places to go out here. We just don't know if it's safe or not.”

According to essentially the most recent study on the homeless population, town reported this yr that the variety of The variety of homeless people in Fremont fell by 21 percent. which is consistent with a nationwide trend. But that got here after Fremont's homeless population doubled between 2019 and 2022, from 608 homeless people to 1,026, based on the Point-in-Time Count, a state census used to measure homelessness.

At last Tuesday's council meeting, Vice Mayor Desrie Campbell questioned city staff in regards to the encampment where Huston lives, wondering if residents could be offered everlasting or temporary housing. She asked if town could implement everlasting street parking bans throughout Fremont.

Housing manager Lucia Hughes told Campbell that “outreach teams” repeatedly come to the encampment and offer residents various things, comparable to possible housing services. City Attorney Rafael E. Alvarado added that unless the City Council desires to implement everlasting parking bans on certain city streets, it’s inevitable that homeless residents will “come back.”

“What is being considered here is consistent with what many cities are doing,” Alvarado said.

Mayor Lily Mei said she agreed with Campbell that parking bans were vital and said they may lead to safer streets.

“Some of these have to be permanent,” Mei said.

Councilwoman Teresa Cox stays concerned that there be no encampments at school districts and playgrounds, saying she fears that “many people are not having background checks done when dealing with children and families.”

City Councilor Raj Salwan said town should take a “balanced” approach to the homeless problem, but added: “We definitely need the consent of the community.”

“Homelessness is not a crime,” Salwan said at Tuesday's council meeting. “These are the people who are here. If we try to drive them away from one place, they will just go to another place.”

The City Council could discuss the brand new protocols again as early as next month, nevertheless it is unclear once they may very well be officially implemented.