Wheeling Facing a Dilemma in Handling Homeless Issues
Eric Ayres Trending
WHEELING -- Residents came out in full force during Tuesday night's meeting of Wheeling City Council to speak out against measures that would displace members of the local homeless population.
Before those wishing to be heard were given a chance to speak at the end of Tuesday's meeting, Councilmen Jerry Sklavounakis and Ben Seidler brought the issue to the floor -- noting that more action must be taken to address problems surrounding the homeless population in the city.
Sklavounakis said that the city needs to explore options similar to the one taken recently in Parkersburg, where city leaders proposed an ordinance to prohibit camping on public property.
"It's an issue that has challenged this community for quite some time, and unfortunately, it's getting worse on almost a daily basis here," Sklavounakis said. "I think it is in the best interest of our community at this point in time that we pass an ordinance that makes it unlawful to camp on private property, including rights of ways, easements, parks and playgrounds, and under bridges."
According to Sklavounakis, his concerns are based on feedback from local law enforcement officials and other stakeholders, including those who work directly with the unhoused population.
The Wheeling Police Department, in response to a Freedom Of Information Act request, went through their statistics and found out that in a three-month period this past summer, 40% of all the charges linked to alleged crimes in the community were levied against individuals who identify as unhoused and unsheltered, Sklavounakis said.
"It's hard to ignore that statistic moving forward, and that's why I believe this ordinance is in the best interest of the community," he said, noting that he would welcome hearing other solutions to the ongoing problem.
Seidler noted that the plight of the homeless in the community is something that has been "near and dear" to his heart and a situation in which he has been actively involved, working directly with members of the homeless population with charitable efforts.
"But there's no way around it -- it's out of control," Seilder said. "The violence that's happening right now, the drugs that are happening right now, the sheer number of complaints we're getting about people defecating on our streets and alleys -- it's out of control, and we need to get it under control."
The two councilmen indicated that they would encourage a new ordinance be brought to the table before the next city council meeting for consideration on this issue.
More than seven people appeared before council to speak about this topic -- not only because of published reports over the weekend stating that Wheeling may follow suit with Parkersburg's proposed camping ban, but also because a two-week notice recently had been posted at a homeless encampment in East Wheeling.
An encampment is located near the entrance of the Nelson Jordan Center off of 12th and Sero streets, not far from the Wheeling Catholic Central athletic building. This is the same area where, last month, a city worker assigned to clean up what was described as everything from a "homeless camp" to "an illegal dump site" was assaulted by a homeless man who the city worker said was carrying a machete. After an argument ensued, the employee of the city Operations Department was punched in the face by the homeless man, who was subsequently charged with battery several days later.
Those speaking out against displacing the homeless Tuesday night asked where these people are supposed to go if they cannot camp on public property. They also asked how they were expected to pay any kind of fine for committing code violations.
Connor Morrison read a letter on behalf of Beth Collins, executive director of the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation voicing concerns about recent actions regarding homeless encampments.
Speakers applauded the city for hiring Homeless Liaison Melissa Adams instead of turning its back on the homeless. However, some described recent developments as using Adams as a "landlord of public space" instead of an advocate.
Adams was in attendance at Tuesday night's meeting. She said she could not comment on the issue at this time, but expected to do so in the near future.
The vocal advocates for the homeless said action like the measure being taken in Parkersburg does not fix anything, nor does it create a path of opportunity for those in need. Speakers said closing another encampment in Wheeling "feels like kicking the can down the street instead of coming up with viable solutions."
Most noted that a solution to the problem cannot be found without city leadership behind the effort.
Martha Wright, director of Laughlin Memorial Chapel, said the homeless problem is a complicated one for the city and a task that should be tackled with support on the state and federal levels.
Ryan Ewing said that efforts to make it illegal for unhoused individuals to exist in a community is taking an awful problem one big step further away from a permanent solution.
Kate Marshall of the House of Hagar said that an email went out to outreach workers and service providers on Sept. 29 informing them that the city's homeless liaison was instructed to post the notice that the 12th Street encampment was to be closed. This is the area where people who were housed in the winter shelter last season were told to go when no other shelter beds in the community were available.
"This perhaps has become the pinnacle of the misuse of Wheeling's homeless liaison position," Marshall said. "Like in days past, we are supposed to scramble and deal with the aftermath of poor planning, with folks who have nowhere to go."
Action taken to "criminalize the existence" of homelessness is creating a system of exclusion, Marshall said.
"We must answer - where can they go?" she asked. "If there's only private or public property, and there's no shelter available. Any person who is serious about inclusion or life in Wheeling, ethically cannot take part in any act that criminalizes a human need."
Marshall asked that the city allow Adams to work with other advocates and retract the eviction notice at the encampment.
John Hargleroad said the community "cannot continue to play Whack-a-Mole" with the homeless, going from place to place and closing their camps without given them a place to go.
"They're human beings, they're not vermin," Hargleroad said. "We must treat them with respect due to a human being. The city must create space with Porta-johns, access to running water, dumpsters and a place to camp."
Ashlie Kotson, Northern Regional Director of Catholic Charities, urged city leaders to look over a handout she provided regarding homeless individuals as it relates to the "criminalization of homelessness."
"The proposed closure of the camps in question was a city staff decision," Mayor Glenn Elliott said. "We were notified of it, but it was not a council decision. I remain open to hearing both sides of that argument, but I have not had those discussions yet.
"The ordinance in question is something that has not yet been proposed yet. It's been talked about, and I know what Parkersburg did, but there's no ordinance that has been shared among members of council."
Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron was not in attendance during Tuesday's meeting.
"As we try to navigate this, I would appreciate it if everybody would keep in mind the other end of this argument - of the mothers taking their kids on their little bicycles down the walking trail and getting chased with people with knives," Seidler said. "Parents are taking their kids to the playground at the waterfront and finding needles all over the playground.
"We're not here hating homeless people. What we're trying to do is balance out respect and dignity for people who don't have homes, while at the same time protect public safety and protect the people who live here."
The mayor said he did not believe that anyone on council was driven by a desire to punish the homeless or treat them unfairly.
"This is a tough issue, and I think as a community that we need to all stop questioning everyone's motives and look for some consensus to solutions," Elliott said. "The people who showed up tonight - I certainly appreciate your perspective, but we also get emails and complaints from people who are dealing with a lot of crime and other things in their back yards that they shouldn't be subjected to in a civilized city."