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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 18, 2004 Ashland panel ‘impressed’ with homeless camp idea By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Saying they were "impressed" and "moved," housing commissioners who met with 30 homeless people invited them to educate residents on the need for a permanent homeless camp in town and come back for further discussion on the other main issue — available city land. The homeless group, organized since June as the Ashland Homeless Alliance, proposed a self-governing camp that would have a community garden, composting toilets, 10-by-10-foot cottages and values of "autonomy and self-reliance, rather than dependence on government programs," said Montana, a homeless woman. Most members of the group have one-word "forest names." Members are now taking grant-writing classes and plan to file for tax-exempt status and seek grants during the winter, said Sky, a homeless man, citing the need for a "dry, warm environment, in which to bathe, cook, do laundry and sleep without fear of being disturbed or threatened." The group is studying five possible camp locations. Housing commissioner Alice Hardesty said, "I’m impressed with the garden and the sustainability ideas and if the homeless community would carry out these projects, I think the rest of Ashland could learn quite a bit. You never know when bad times might befall the nation and we’ll need to know this." Advertisement Hardesty expressed the often heard fear of the "mecca effect," meaning a successful camp would attract homeless from all over, allowing things to "get out of hand." Montana responded, "It’s not for everyone. We’ve come together as a tribe and there are applications and rules — and people would be expected to contribute. We’re not opening the floodgates. There would be a limited number of people." Housing Commissioner Fay Weisler told the group that the commission, which advises the City Council, will "seriously look into what we can do." She added, "We’ve been only looking at traditional housing, so I thank you for this wonderful gift you’ve brought to us." Said Commission Chairman Matt Small, "It’s a terrible, difficult issue. We don’t know what we can do for you, but it’s within our charter to do something." He said the commission would find out if community development block grants are applicable to such a camp. Commissioner Kim Miller, who has worked two decades with the homeless, told them, "People don’t believe you’re poor. People don’t even want affordable housing, let alone this. But you have moved this group." Group director Taylor Kohn, who is also director of South Valley Community Human Services, said she was "very gratified to see real communication." "They took it seriously," she said. "It’s an idea coming of age, that the poor can get together and create community, comfort and the meeting of basic needs." The group’s attorney, Matt Fawcett, who is forming the organization as a nonprofit corporation, told commissioners that being homeless was a basic right under the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, which protects free movement between states and the right to remain in any state, without being considered a trespasser. "We may not like it, but the homeless are part of society," Fawcett said. "They may not subscribe to social conventions, but they are here and, like us, looking for possibilities for a better life." The commission invited the group to return for its Dec. 15 meeting. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities