A homeless encampment in San Rafael is being scaled down and the city will enforce a certain camp size while it establishes an approved camping program.
Bruce Gaylord is one of dozens of homeless people living in tents along Mahon Creek in San Rafael.
“There’s a wagon that I use to carry water and food, so everything fits in here. I have two cots. One to lift things off the floor and one to sleep on,” Gaylord said.
A few weeks ago, KPIX sat down with Gaylord to talk about a lawsuit he filed against a local tire company, who he said was playing loud music at night to get people like him to get in their cars and leave.
KPIX relaunched, but for a different reason.
The city of San Rafael voted Monday to take action against the camp, approving the enforcement of strict regulations on the size of campsites and the distance from the campsite. It also allocated $2.2 million to establish an approved camping program in a portion of the current camp.
Gaylord said he is not impressed.
“They just want to throw money at a problem and say they’re doing something about it,” Gaylord said.
The newly approved camping program will include up to 47 tents. The city said it will be fenced, have 24/7 security and provide residents with restrooms, showers and an area for pets.
They said city officials will also work with residents to get them into more permanent housing. But Gaylord said he has concerns.
“As you can see, there are already people living here. So where would they put me?” Gaylord said.
He said there are more than 47 people living in the camp. He wonders how the city will determine who comes in and who gets out.
He also worries about what happens if the site closes. The city plans to keep it open for a year and a half at most.
“Even if they had 40 apartments that people could move into, where would those 40 apartments come from? Where in this community are there 40 empty apartments,” Gaylord said.
The city said it has a system in place to prioritize who gets a spot in the new program. It will be based on plaintiffs in the city’s lawsuit, those who are most vulnerable and those who have lived in the camp the longest and participated in the city’s service support area.
They said they also plan to work with the province to ensure all residents have permanent housing.
Gaylord still said he thinks the city could have spent the money better.
“Use the ballpark. They can be out of it for two years, get in for less money, and house more people,” Gaylord said.
KPIX has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on the city’s new plan. We have not yet received a response.
