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Homelessness in Medford need not be hopeless Jim Pyle, 61, tries to warm up and stay dry at the Medford Gospel Mission in Medford on Wednesday. Advocates for the homeless say an investment in housing would go a long way toward alleviating homelessness issues in Medford. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Sunday Nov 19, 2017 at 2:00 AM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm Jim Pyle says though as a homeless man he's been rousted by police and robbed, the public generally treats him pretty well. "On the street, people ask me if I'm hungry or need a blanket," says the soft-spoken Pyle, who was keeping himself warm and dry at the Medford Gospel Mission last week. Pyle says he doesn't drink or do drugs but suffers from a bad leg and other issues that make it difficult for him to work. At 61, Pyle is one year away from being one of the 52 senior citizens who make up the 633 homeless in Jackson County, according to a survey by ACCESS Inc. for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of the county's homeless, 95 are veterans and 111 say they have a severe mental illness. Seventy-five percent say they have lived in the county for more than a year. An Associated Press analysis determined 185,000 people are considered homeless in Oregon, Washington and California, 19,000 more than two years ago. The growing homeless population has meant myriad problems for Medford, including belligerent behavior, public defecation and the takeover of local parks. The city's response has been to create an exclusion zone that kicks out those who commit crimes — first in local parks, then throughout downtown after local businesses complained of repeated offensive behavior by the homeless. But city officials say the exclusion zones seem only to push the problems elsewhere. "When we squeeze the balloon in one place, it expands in another," says Councilor Clay Bearnson. Homelessness has many faces Donald Cardin, who has lived in the area since 1994, says he became homeless a month and a half ago during a custody dispute with his ex-wife that led to his bank account being seized. The 57-year-old is looking for work as a janitor, though finding a job without a phone or address has been difficult. "I'm working on it," Cardin says. "But it's not easy." Cardin, who sought shelter last week at the Gospel Mission, says he's exhausted his savings and that living outside has been a struggle, particularly at night. "Some guy tried to take my shoes," he says. "Of course, I wouldn't let him." Cardin hopes his homelessness will be temporary, but for some veterans and those struggling with mental illness or drug addiction, homelessness is often a chronic condition. Some homeless people have jobs — including some who hang out at Alba Park — but the wages are so low they can't afford a place to rent, homeless advocates say. Murray Richmond, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Medford across from Alba Park, knows firsthand the problems associated with homelessness, once calling himself the “pastor of poop” because he’s had to clean up messes around his church so many times. Richmond says he’s aware of at least two cities that have had some success dealing with homeless issues that affect local businesses and residents. “It goes back to giving them something to do besides drink all day,” Richmond says. What other cities have done Fairbanks, Alaska, refurbished an old hotel that shelters people off the street, says Richmond, who lived in that city for 15 years. A similar commitment in Medford of creating 100 beds and the staffing to contend with any behavioral issues would make a considerable dent in problems locally, he says. Only a small percentage of the homeless population engage in the kind of behavior that offends local residents. “I know one guy who’s really sweet 23 hours a day, but on that one hour a day he’s a handful,” Richmond says. A woman he knows was just a mean drunk until she went through rehabilitation and is now in recovery. “She went to the cops and thanked them,” he says. Seattle obtained lists of homeless "frequent fliers" with the most behavioral problems from the sobering center, emergency rooms and the police to address issues and get them housing, Richmond says. “They found one guy who had 420 admissions to the sobering center,” Richmond says. “Seattle found that when they housed people and kept them safe, it saved them $3 million a year." Seattle spent $61 million on homeless-related issues last year, and a recent budget proposal would increase that to $63 million, The Associated Press reports. Four years ago, the city spent $39 million on homelessness. Sacramento has set a goal of moving 2,000 people off the streets in the next three years and may place a housing bond before voters in 2018, according to the AP.    In Utah, the state declared victory over much of its homeless problem by converting empty apartments into homes for the homeless. However, reports from shelters and food pantries say they still see great demand for their services, according to The Guardian. What can be done here? Chad McComas of Medford's Rogue Retreat acknowledges local residents might balk at the idea of spending taxpayer dollars for housing or other programs to benefit the homeless. "In reality, taxpayer money is already being spent on the homeless," he says. "We have police calls, emergency calls, and the fire department is doing at least one wellness check a day to see if some homeless person is doing OK." ACCESS conducted a recent survey on the impacts of homelessness on emergency service providers and other organizations, finding that it cost roughly $35,000 a year to deal with a homeless individual. The national average, according to ACCESS, is between $30,000 and $40,000. McComas says he understands the reluctance to spend money on homelessness, but many of the people he encounters are living on the streets because of the area's low vacancy rate and high rent. McComas, who is also a pastor at Set Free Christian Fellowship and a well-known local homeless advocate, says he thinks more housing would improve the situation for locals, citing two homeless shelters in Bend as examples of what can be done. "If we had a place that would take in 100, that would have a huge impact for the people on the streets," he says. Still, he says, such a place would need heavy oversight because some homeless do cause problems. "These folks aren't used to working together," he says. "We would have to make sure they are all getting along in the sandbox." Rogue Retreat opened the 14-unit Hope Village for the homeless this year and is trying to reopen the Kelly Warming Shelter from January to March. The shelter provides a warm place for 50 people to sleep during the winter. McComas says there are efforts underway to create places for people to get warm during the day, and he is currently in conversations with local churches to see whether they are interested. McComas says providing a place for the homeless to hang out would lessen the impact on the downtown area. City Councilor Dick Gordon believes the police department is stretched thin and is having a hard time dealing with homeless people who break laws and disregard codes. He says he's heard many stories of people who have been harassed and intimidated as they walk or ride their bikes around town. "I said, if it were up to me, I'm prepared to hire another 10 police officers right now," he says, though the cost would be about $1 million. Gordon says officers have told him they can make arrests but the jail doesn't have enough beds to house the criminals. Bearnson says the city needs to work closer with social organizations to get a better handle on the homeless situation. "We can do something good if we work together," he says. "Everybody's working too much in their own silos." Bearnson says he's not opposed to the idea of hiring more officers as long as the city comes up with a more comprehensive plan to deal with bad behavior. Jason Bull, executive director of the Medford Gospel Mission on Jackson Street, says his organization requires a commitment to sobriety when a homeless person comes in. "We work with a population of homeless that want to do better and turn their life around," he says. Last Wednesday, the mission had 67 men who stayed the night, of which 16 were 65 or older and 13 were veterans. Unfortunately, the organization's program isn't as successful with homeless suffering from mental health issues, Bull says. "We do see a lot of people with mental health issues that aren't on drugs," he says. "When we're trying to help people with mental health challenges, there isn't a good exit strategy after our 10-week program." Bull says Jackson County Mental Health offers assistance and Southern Oregon Compass House provides a supportive clubhouse for those with mental illness or disabilities, but permanent housing for them is rare. "There is no significant amount of housing out there for people with mental health issues," Bull says. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.