Multi-agency effort leads to 'Targetville' homeless encampment abatement in Richmond
“I am so proud that you are getting indoors,” Daniel Barth said, peering into a makeshift tent along the BART tracks behind the Target shopping center this morning.
Barth, Executive Director of Safe Organized Spaces Richmond, is one of several organizations providing services as city workers began clearing out "Targetville," a long-running homeless encampment, early Thursday morning.
“He wants to go indoors; he has been outdoors for decades, and to get him inside would be amazing,” Barth said. “I’m talking about folks who have never decided to go indoors. They’ve been resistant to support the fact that they are signing on is a great thing.”
“Are you serious about doing that?” Barth asked, receiving a quiet "yeah" in response. “It is 9 o’clock, and I can call right now to say that you are ready to roll.”
City staff, the county’s homeless outreach team CORE, Richmond’s Community Crisis Response Program, BART, El Cerrito, and Caltrans have been working for the past month to provide services to the 25-30 people living in the encampment. Those who have made the area their home will initially be put into interim housing at the Extended Stay America at Hilltop. At the same time, a navigation center at the hotel will work with residents to secure housing through a subsidy provided by the city.
However, according to Barth, short-term housing alone is insufficient and must be combined with efforts to increase income, improve wellness, and promote healthy choices.
Michelle Milam, City of Richmond Crime Prevention Manager, said the hard work has been done over the last few weeks as multiple agencies and service providers have met to coordinate the encampment abatement.
“This is never an easy thing to do. It is really complicated, and there are never enough resources to be able to do everything,” Milam said. “We are trying to do this in as thoughtful a way as we can. We know there are different barriers for people getting into shelters.”
Soren Hemmila
For the past three weeks, the county’s homeless outreach teams, CORE, SOS Richmond, and CCRP, have contacted people living in the encampment and tried to build rapport.
“You want to try to offer as many services as you can on the front end before you bring in the police. You don’t want to traumatize people; you want people to feel comfortable,” Milam said. “We are trying our best to accommodate and bring as many other resources as we can.”
Milam said the city could get five families into permanent supportive housing using state Encampment Resolution Funding.
The area sits at the confluence of multiple jurisdictions and agencies, including El Cerrito, Richmond, Caltrans, and BART. Encampments have sprung up and been abated numerous times in the last couple of years. BART officials also shared their safety concerns with the city.
“BART contacted us because there was a threat to their line that could have taken out the Richmond Bart Station,” Milam said.
BART spokesperson James K. Allison said the transit agency has been discussing this encampment and others in Richmond with city staff.
"While BART recognizes the critical shortage of housing in the Bay Area and understands that all people deserve to have a home, living near BART tracks can create safety hazards such as risk of fire, trespassing or debris that can interfere with train traffic," Allison said. "As such, BART works with partner communities to find humane solutions."
Multiple police personnel from the El Cerrito and Richmond departments were on hand for the abatement process.
Richmond Police Sgt. Ben Therriault said RPD followed the Richmond camping ordinance and policy during the camps' abatement.
“A lot of services have been offered throughout the month. Now you have city workers out here doing work, and we are out here providing security for that. Services have been offered and are being offered even at the last second here,” Therriault said.
Soren Hemmila
Michael Romero, Community Crisis Response Program Manager, said the CCRP was on hand to help with everything the City of Richmond needed, offering resources, including mental and medical help.
“It is a beautiful group out here coming together to minimize the impact on the people that are being affected by the abatement,” Romero said.
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