In Cottage Grove, only a few homeless people are staying at the temporary campsite in Lulu's Dog Park. Now, the city has scaled down its plans to open a more permanent location.
Previously, Cottage Grove had two 24-hour sanctioned campsites. City staff estimated earlier this year that the locations had around 80 tents combined.
“We got along like a family, and tried to take care of each other,” said Samantha, a homeless resident of Cottage Grove who lived at the 12th Street camp. “So anybody new coming through would not mess with our stuff.”
However, the city closed those camps last month. Cottage Grove’s Public Works Director Faye Stewart told KLCC this would allow workers to clean up potentially unsafe conditions there.
The Transition to Dusk-till-Dawn
At the end of next week, the city plans to re-open 12th Street as a monitored site. But it will only be accessible from dusk-till-dawn, meaning people will have to pack up their belongings and leave each morning.
In the meantime, the city has asked homeless residents to relocate to a separate dusk-till-dawn campsite at Lulu's Dog Park, with over 50 designated spots. But currently, Stewart said only around one to four people are staying there each night.
Jennifer Ferraez, a social worker in Cottage Grove, said the city’s choice of location is part of the problem.
“They created these well-meaning, secure spaces, but they look like dog kennels,” said Ferraez. “And that in combination with a dog park—it's dehumanizing.”
Following the low overnight attendance at Lulu’s, Cottage Grove City Manager Mike Sauerwein said the city's decided to offer less space at the 12th Street site when it re-opens.
Saurwein said there will only be room for half-a-dozen tents at a time.
Meanwhile, the city plans to close the temporary shelter space at Lulu's Dog Park once the new site is ready.
Sleeping at Lulu's Dog Park
Samantha has been sleeping at Lulu's Dog Park for about a week-and-a-half. She said it’s difficult to use a dusk-to-dawn shelter while keeping a job.
She said she has to take her belongings to storage or a friends' house each morning, and lug them back to the campsite after work.
Alternatively, she said city staff lets residents keep their items just outside of the shelter during the day. But she said there’s often only a single security guard watching over them.
“I have to worry all day long about whether or not my stuff's being rifled through,” said Samantha.
Other Places to Stay
Samantha said instead of sleeping at the park, some homeless community members have begun camping on other people’s property. Stewart said others have moved outside of Cottage Grove City Limits.
Ferraez said some homeless people have gone into hiding, to prevent city officials from moving them. She said because they’re scattered, it’s harder for the few outreach workers in Cottage Grove to offer them help.
“People are moving around, and they are hidden,” said Ferraez. “And when they're hidden, they're not seen. They die quietly out in the bushes.”
A Lack of Resources
Ferraez said a monitored shelter could be a helpful resource, if it includes access to social services. She said there's little assistance in Cottage Grove for people trying to exit homelessness.
"The community just has to say that this is something worth investing in, and not give into ignorant thought that providing supportive services is perpetuating the problem," she said.
Stewart, the Public Works Director, said it's never been city staffs' intention to dehumanize or demoralize homeless people in Cottage Grove.
He said they are doing their best to fulfill City Council's directive, which is to transition from 24-hour shelters to dusk-till-dawn sites.
"We're trying to meet the requirements of the law, trying to do it in a workman-like manner, and with what we can afford," he said.
Sauerwein said the 12th Street shelter is a work-in-progress. He said it's possible that it could be expanded if demand for the site changes.
"We may make changes based on the situations that we face," said Sauerwein. "None of us have ever managed a homeless camp before."
