CHICO -- As Chico City Council preps to once again discuss alternative plans for the alternative homeless campsite, North State Shelter Team President Charles Withuhn has three main issues he hopes are addressed.
"What we hope from the city council meeting is, at the very least, a sanitary water delivery system, cleaner porta-potties and a better security system," said Withuhn.
The city of Chico implemented the alternative site as part of the Warren v. Chico settlement agreement. Homeless individuals who do not qualify for the city's two options -- the Torres Shelter and the Pallet shelter -- are allowed to live at the site if they receive a proper referral. At the Sept. 16 city council meeting, Public Works Director Erik Gustafson gave a presentation on the site listing the city's challenges, but also improvements.
The site has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum since its inception. While some have said it should be shut down altogether, advocates like Withuhn say it needs to be improved and managed.
Speaking at the Sept. 16 city council meeting, Withuhn said the site's "water delivery system," a spigot with two hoses on a splitter, is unsanitary. He later explained to this newspaper that it is unsanitary because the hoses are often left in the dirt, contaminating the water at the exit point.
On Friday, while conducting his mobile shower trailer service he brings to the camp weekly, Withuhn observed the hoses were propped out of the dirt, one against the site's chain link fence and the other in a box just behind the spigot. This was the first time he had seen them not lying in the dirt, he said.
An ideal system, said Withuhn, would be a T-shaped fence post with four spigots that each have a lever to turn on the water at eye or chest level, "so dogs aren't peeing on it like they might if the hose is on the ground." He added that one spigot could be for a fixed shower head, which currently doesn't exist at the site.
"The point is this is not a typical way to deliver water," said Withuhn.
Withuhn and Robin McCollum, a volunteer with the North State Shelter Team, estimate that something like this would cost a couple hundred dollars.
"This reveals the city councilors' stinginess," said Robin. "They want them to go away. They don't want to serve them any more than they must according to the (Warren) agreement."
Regarding the toilets, Withuhn said portable toilets are not proper bathrooms.
"Restrooms have a sink with hot and cold running water," he said. "They've got a mirror. They've got, you know, a toilet that gets cleaned as often as necessary. These toilets may be cleaned ... occasionally, but typically, that's not enough."
His third issue regarding the camp is security. The camp currently has one gate people can walk through which has no lock. Withuhn said putting a lock on the gate and giving each camper a key would keep the camp safe and keep unauthorized people out of the site.
Beyond physical improvements to the site, Withuhn said community building is the missing link. He said the site has "cliques" and some people living in "solitary" off on their own.
"When everybody knows everybody, and we're friends with everybody, then you get peer group pressure and you don't litter," said Withuhn.
Beyond the homeless community itself, Withuhn said there is a lack of awareness of the issues the homeless community faces.
At the last city council meeting, Councilor Tom van Overbeek asked Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge what percentage of homeless people die from drug overdoses.
"Anecdotally, I would say the majority," said Aldridge.
Darren Chapla, a registered nurse who volunteers with the North State Shelter Team, said he understands why Aldridge would say that and acknowledged that drugs do play a part in homeless deaths. However, he said many factors lead to these deaths beyond just drugs, namely poor medical treatment and general health conditions that are exacerbated by life on the streets.
Many homeless people use drugs to self-medicate for untreated health issues, he said. As a nurse with the shelter team, he said much of his work is dressing wounds that would normally be minor but often become infected because of unsanitary living conditions.
"They're left to fend for themselves," said Chapla. "And the lack of compassion that I see amongst some of the city leaders, it speaks to their idea that everybody starts off on an even playing field, and that is just not true."
Chapla, an Army veteran, said one of the Army's core values, "selfless service," is what guides him.
Despite the challenges facing the camp, Withuhn said he is hopeful going into Tuesday's city council meeting.
"I'm very hopeful, because our mayor started the ad hoc committee, and because she had meetings, and because she listened to us and is referring it to council," he said. "There's a fair chance that we'll be able to make some good progress."