The complex challenges of tackling homelessness

By Laura Haight

I am president of Democratic Women of Greenville County. But what I state in this op-ed is my opinion and mine alone.

For more than a year, the city of Greenville and community partners that serve the homeless population have been developing a structure to try and improve life and health for the city’s unhoused. It is an ambitious undertaking.

I have been troubled by the selective information and hyperbole that has been the bulk of the public discussion – especially across social media.

I spent 40 years working for newspapers. Through that lens, here are just a few areas I find troubling in how this ordinance is being described.

●      The role of law enforcement
I have never lived in a city where the police were not empowered to move people off the streets if they were loitering, creating a "public nuisance" or other minor infractions. So I was surprised to learn that Greenville City officers currently do not have such authority. Under the proposed ordinance, before any arrest can take place, police must first give a warning. The second encounter may involve a citation or fine, which can be dismissed by Homeless Court. The third can result in arrest and a potential 30-day sentence. But that can also be mitigated if they take advantage of available services. Each step of the process requires the officer notify the homeless outreach team, which is funded by the city.

●      The impact on businesses and city residents

There has been little discussion of how the lack of a plan to manage and to improve the well-being of the unhoused population impacts the city’s business community and its residents.

●      Focusing on criminalization
The picture many seem to paint is of police muscling homeless people into cop cars, trashing their belongings, throwing them in jail, and rushing them through a court proceeding before sending them to lock up. The facts are somewhat different.

All city police officers attend required NAMI’s (National Association of Mental Illness) Crisis Intervention Training. Currently 191 officers have completed that training and another 24 more recently hired are scheduled for it.

Vagrancy or loitering are not felonies. They are misdemeanors (like trespassing). And per the proposed ordinance they would be expunged if the individuals accepted available assistance. The goal of the program is not to lock people up, it's to get them engaged in a system that will help bring them back into the community, and a more stable, safe living environment.

Many people say they are all for the plan - just not the law enforcement part. But without some impetus to make change, change rarely happens. Greenville City has had Homeless Court for nearly two years. It is rarely taken advantage of. This program will provide the impetus that perhaps some of this population needs to accept change.

Homelessness is a complex issue, with many moving parts, many different areas needed to work together - including law enforcement. That's why the participation of Greenville Together, a collaboration spearheaded by the United Way, United Ministries, Greenville Rescue Mission, and Triune Mercy Center was so important. Its Steering Committee includes, among many other groups, a Lived Experience Council giving formerly unhoused people a significant voice in this process. The organization spoke in support of this ordinance at the first reading.

Mayor Knox White stated in the City Council meeting that there were several elements that had yet to be nailed down and that the ordinance should not go into effect until things like 24/7 access to rest rooms, personal storage facilities, and a day shelter had been established. Councilman John DeWorken is expected to introduce an amendment to incorporate this at the next council meeting.

I ask those who are so adamantly opposed to come up with something better. Or perhaps we should do nothing? And let our neighbors freeze in the coming winter, relying on charities for food, clothing, and medicine while remaining on the outskirts of society - along with their children.

Perfection is usually something you work toward, not what you start out with. I strongly hope this ordinance - with the mayor's suggested amendment - is approved and we begin to work toward a better Greenville. For Everyone. Together.