TO: Ventura City Council
FROM: Rob Edwards, Executive Director
DATE: June 30, 2009
On behalf of our downtown business and property owners, the Downtown Ventura Organization board of directors voted at its board meeting last week to oppose any change to the ordinance prohibiting overnight sleeping in vehicles on public property as a detrimental diversion of time, effort, and attention from the ten-year plan to end homelessness.
DVO wholly supports the ten-year plan. But for it to succeed, the city needs to focus both financial and staff resources on ending homelessness rather than simply trying to manage it in this manner by changing this existing ordinance.
If the Ventura City Council rescinds this ordinance at a time when other cities, like Camarillo, are strengthening theirs, Ventura will likely experience unintended consequences such as creating an attractive safe-haven for non-residents.
Sleeping in vehicles on public streets or public parking lots is unsafe; recent, highly publicized attacks on homeless individuals are a serious concern. Additionally, there is no public restroom access overnight anywhere in the city and serious public health issues will arise as a result. Creating a plan to mitigate these problems will merely divert limited police and social service resources.
As you are aware, the real problem is the severe shortage of shelters and beds. In spite of recent and pending budget cut-backs, Ventura needs to re-energize its efforts to build new or convert existing facilities into quality shelters.
The transitional living component of the WAV will help but is not nearly enough.
The Kingdom Center project expects to provide both beds and the necessary support services for the homeless, but it is not in place yet and not yet fully funded either.
The DVO board and the hundreds of small businesses and property owners for whom we advocate is committed to collaborating with innovative organizations, individuals, and government agencies to find permanent solutions to the critical issue of homelessness in our city.
Therefore, if faith-based organizations with locations in Ventura wish to provide assistance to those who have nowhere to sleep overnight but in their vehicles, we would wholeheartedly support a pilot program that allows faith-based organizations to do so on their private property with their security, supervision and restroom facilities.
Thank you for your consideration.
