In recent years, the Springfield community has made significant progress in organizing and improving our system of care for those experiencing homelessness. Under the leadership of the Heartland Continuum of Care, the City of Springfield, and Sangamon County Government, we adopted a robust strategic plan to address homelessness. While there is still much work to be done, our social service network, local governments, and community partners are working closer together than ever before.
While many people may not see it, the City of Springfield has been a valuable partner in our community’s efforts to address homelessness. This includes the Springfield Police Department who has demonstrated a commitment to connecting unhoused individuals to community resources through the creation of its Homeless Outreach Team (HOT); Crisis Response Team; and the Springfield Engage Empower Deflect (SEED) collaboration for creating a safer and healthier community by improving our approach to providing services to those impacted by homelessness, crime, violence, substance use, and mental health.
During this past week, a proposed ordinance on public camping was placed on the agenda for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. The proposal, directly affecting the unsheltered, was introduced under Emergency Passage rules and may be approved outside the normal procedure used for city business. The proposed ordinance outlines the instances and potential penalties associated with public camping.
While the Mission understands the need for and generally agrees that an ordinance addressing public camping, especially in mitigating multi-person encampments, is needed, we also believe that a more robust discussion is warranted to assure that we are providing every opportunity for community members to access and receive the help they need prior to penalization.
While the current ordinance proposal includes language on contacting social service agencies after removal, we believe that the opportunity to access community services should take place as a necessary first step prior to removal. This first step could be a referral to a member of the HOT, Crisis Response team, or a SEED deflection specialist. This first contact would provide an opportunity for a trained social or case worker to connect the individual with shelter or other needed resources. It would also better utilize existing City resources trained to work with this population. Providing a defined but adequate period prior to forcible removal and the issuance of penalties would create the opportunity for a better outcome for all parties involved.
We also believe that along with the passage of any such ordinance, our city and community have an obligation to discuss whether the current system of care is meeting the community’s temporary sheltering needs. Specifically, is there a better way to bridge the period during which an individual is waiting for housing placement and is ineligible, unable, or unwilling to enter an existing shelter setting.
While the ordinance raises a long list of questions that need to be answered, it also provides us the opportunity to work together to create further solutions to minimize the period an individual spends on the streets.
Together we can find a solution that meets the needs of everyone involved, be it our homeless community, our city’s residents, or community’s businesses.
You can read the full text of the ordinance here: City of Springfield Ordinance.
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