San Rafael to partly clear homeless encampment, create camping program

A homeless encampment in San Rafael will be downsized, and the city will be enforcing a campsite size as it builds a sanctioned camping program.
Bruce Gaylord is one of dozens of homeless people living in tents off Mahon Creek in San Rafael.
“There is a wagon that I use to haul in water and food, and so that all fits inside here. I’ve got two cots. One to get things up off the floor and one to sleep on,” said Gaylord.
A few weeks ago KPIX went out there to talk with Gaylord about a lawsuit he filed against a local tire company he said was blasting loud music at night, trying to get folks like him to pick up and leave.
KPIX went back again but for a different reason.
The city of San Rafael voted Monday to take action at the encampment, approving the enforcement of strict campsite size and setback rules, as well as allocating $2.2 million to build a sanctioned camping program in a section of the current encampment.
Gaylord said he’s not impressed.
“They just want to throw money at a problem and say that they’re doing something,” said Gaylord.
The new sanctioned camping program will include up to 47 tents. The city said it will be gated, have 24/7 security, and offer residents restrooms, showers and a pet area.
They said city officials will also work with residents to get them into more permanent housing. But Gaylord said he has concerns.
“As you can see, people are already living here and so where would they put me,” said Gaylord.
He said well over 47 people live at the encampment. He wonders how the city will choose who gets in and who has to leave.
He’s also concerned what will happen when the site closes. The city only plans to keep it open for a year and a half at most.
“Even if they got 40 apartments for people to move into where would the 40 apartments come from? Where in this community has 40 vacant apartments,” said Gaylord.
The city said it does have a system for prioritizing who will get spaces in the new program. It will go based on plaintiffs in the city’s lawsuit, those who are the most vulnerable and those who have lived in the encampment the longest and participated in the city’s service support area.
They said they also plan to work with the county to get every resident into permanent housing.
Gaylord said he still thinks the city could have used the money in a better way.
“Use the baseball diamond. They could be out of it for two years, be into it for less money, house more people,” said Gaylord.
KPIX reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on the city’s new plan. We have not yet received a response.