The million-dollar question

When it comes to whether Chico is facing a shelter emergency, the answer is most definitely yes. The question—for community members and city leaders—is whether to support an effort to officially declare an emergency shelter crisis.

While that declaration does present some unknowns as well as some additional work on the city’s part, we believe that the benefits far outweigh the potential problems.

On the most basic level, declaring a crisis would allow for the creation of shelters that do not necessarily adhere to state building codes. The logic here, for communities that have a significant number of homeless residents, is that being unsheltered poses a greater health risk than those types of accommodations.

The tiny house village proposed by the Chico Housing Action Team, for instance, does not include kitchen or bathroom features in each unit, as is currently required for dwellings. It would, however, include communal access to those amenities. As has been demonstrated at similar sites, including 14Forward in Marysville, these transitional facilities work. They give a number of formerly homeless individuals a decent shot at finding permanent housing by providing safe, clean living environments along with counseling and help finding jobs, among other services.

Under the crisis declaration, the City Council still will have to vet proposed projects. In other words, its approval does not mean Chico will be home to tent cities, as many people have warned.

The 2018-19 California state budget includes $500 million in funding for continuums of care in communities that declare emergency shelter crises. The amount each area receives is based on their point-in-time homeless census numbers. As the CN&R reported last year (see “Tiny houses, big potential,” cover story, Dec. 14, 2017), Chico’s rate of homelessness is three times the state average and seven times the national average. That, in our opinion, amounts to a crisis. Butte County as a whole is eligible to receive $4.9 million.

That money won’t be around forever, so Chico must not balk. We’re talking about a major infusion of money that the many local agencies helping our region’s homeless population could use to boost their efforts.

We have a crisis, people. And the state is giving us an opportunity to do something about it. Should city leaders declare an emergency shelter crises? The answer to this million-dollar question is a resounding yes.