By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–The increasing problem of homelessness was addressed at Thursday evening’s meeting of the Paris City Commission, with City Manager Kim Foster and Codes Enforcement Officer Eddie Owen providing an overview of what the city has been dealing with while seeking answers on how city officials want to handle the problem.
Foster said. “To what extent do we do something? We want to keep you informed and we want the public to know we are aware of the problem and we are doing the things we know to do about it. But this is something I’ve been struggling with for some time and we would like some direction.”
Foster displayed photos of damage and trash left behind in public restrooms and photos of the homeless encampments that are in the city limits. Owen said there are some 10-12 encampments along the railroad tracks behind businesses on Mineral Wells Ave. and several more in west Paris. There also are homeless people who chronically break into abandoned and condemned properties. She noted that the encampments in the Mineral Wells area and other areas of the city are on private property.
“We use a lot of our resources and staff cleaning up the restrooms,” Foster said, as well as keeping watch and cleaning up the homeless communities in the city limits.
“I’m concerned about our community,” she said, “because I’m afraid we’re becoming more and more of a magnet for the homeless because we have such caring people here”, with churches and individuals providing materials to homeless people which later have to be cleaned up by the city. “But I wanted to show you the extent of what we’re dealing with and I’m asking you how do we respond to this situation?”
Owen said he makes regular rounds to the homeless communities, leaving garbage bags for them to use and to see if they’re ok. “They’ve been leaving their tents and boxes. A few do try to keep their campsites up. Others have mental problems and choose to be there. I do check on them to make sure they’re not freezing.”
Many, if not most, have addiction problems, he said. Sanitation is a problem at the homeless encampments, with bathrooms being dug for use by the people living in the encampments and trash being left behind for the city to clean up.
Foster noted, “If there was a cookie-cutter homeless person, we could have cookie-cutter solutions, but not every homeless person is the same and doesn’t have the same reasons for being homeless. We just trying to make the community aware.”
Commissioner John Etheridge said city officials are not happy with the situation. “We don’t have the answers, but it is a problem,” he said.
In reply to a question from Commissioner Jackie Jones as to what other communities are doing about it, Foster noted that even cities like Nashville, which have shelters for homeless people, still have a problem with people preferring to live outside.
Owen said he hasn’t seen any children living in the local homeless encampments for awhile. The people live where they’re close to businesses so they can have access to food and other goods nearby and so they can panhandle.
Commissioners asked what local law enforcement and courts can do about the situation and Assistant Police Chief Ean Reed said the code requires that people can only be cited when they’re aggressively being a nuisance to the public (such as in cases of panhandling).
Etheridge said it’s a real dilemma. “We want to protect the property owners and the public, but at the same time we want to be compassionate and help these people have a better life. It’s a tough situation.”
Foster said, “There are people who think we’re not doing anything, but we are aware of the problem” and city employees are monitoring the homeless encampments and trying to keep them cleaned up, as well as keeping the city’s public bathrooms cleaned.
Owen said even when one homeless camp is cleaned up, the people living there just move somewhere else and start a new one, so it’s a continual problem.
“I just wanted to keep you informed” of what’s happening, Foster said, and asked commissioners for any input they may have.
In other business:
–The commission approved a request to commit ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funds. Foster noted that the city has a little over $400,000 in ARA funds stil left to be committed and she made the request to use $50,000 to purchase and install a safety surface under a wheelchair swing at Eiffel Tower Park (the swing is being purchased with funds received through a Three Star Grant from the state) and to purchase a couple pieces of property behind the City Hall for up to $200,000. Purchase of the properties (if they are for sale) would give the city some needed ‘wiggle room’ for the potential future building project (expanding and/or building a new City Hall building).
–At the request of Reed, the commission approved a resolution to amend the police department’s rules and procedures manual by adding body worn cameras to it and they amended the police department’s manual by adding K-9 units.
–The commission send a request to acquire an undeveloped alley on Depot St. to the planning commission.
Photo: Codes Enforcement Officer Eddie Owen at the podium, addressing the commission on the homeless problem, while photos are displayed. Shannon McFarlin photo.