Businesses, residents probe for solutions to homelessness in Seaside – June 7, 2021

Sandy Palmer, who owns Five Star Henna in Seaside, described her experience with the homeless as “men under my windows, in my doorways, with grocery carts, smoking, eating, defecating, urinating on my door and doing anything and everything for someone else to come and pick up their garbage.”

Unless homeless are compelled to move along, Palmer said, side streets in the city are going to look like Portland. “And people are going to be more leery about coming into our town for tourism,” she said. “My solution would be to constantly move them along.”

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Homeless liaisons begin outreach – May 14, 2021

During her first month in a new role, Cheryl Paul, a Clatsop County homeless liaison, has been getting to know the homeless population in Seaside, offering to help connect people to different housing options.

During an Astoria homeless task force meeting, Paul was credited for helping a woman in a camper find permanent housing and store the camper.

Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham said the woman’s camper was parked on 12th Avenue and Necanicum Drive, an area where several RVs are parked at a given time….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Pandemic year sees jump in mental health, homelessness contacts for Seaside police – May 13, 2021

It was timely coincidence that delivery of the annual report of the Seaside Police Department came the same night as a proclamation for National Police Memorial Week.

The proclamation honored the valor, service, and dedication of all police officer and publicly saluted the service of each of the city’s officers.

Read by Mitch Brown, the department’s communications manager, at Monday’s City Council meeting, the proclamation invited citizens to reflect and remember Sgt. Jason Goodding, the Seaside officer who lost his life in 2016 in the line of duty….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Faith leaders share vision at Seaside homelessness forum – May 11, 2021

Faith leaders came together last week at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center to discuss Seaside’s rise in homelessness.

“We need to learn about what’s going on in our town. We need to learn from each other,” said City Councilor Tita Montero, an organizer of the event. “And we need to perk up the ideas, because what might work in one town may not work in Seaside. But we aren’t going to know that if we haven’t had the chance to bat that around a little bit.”

…

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Forums on homelessness to begin with input from clergy – April 27, 2021

The first of four forums on homelessness will be held May 6, Mayor Jay Barber said.

“Our goals are working on what we’re calling homeless strategies forums,” the mayor said. “We’re trying to educate ourselves and the community about how to deal with the homeless situation, trying to bring different groups together.”

The first forum, planned for 6 p.m. at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center, will bring together members of the faith-based community to inform the city what they are doing for the homeless….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Seen from Seaside: For Mill Ponds homeless, no place else to go – April 27, 2021

“Martha Stewart doesn’t live here,” reads a makeshift sign posted to a tree in a Mill Ponds encampment. A tangled picket fence made out of sticks creates an outer border and sense of space. Nearby, a tent, pizza box and a scattered collection of personal belongings. A vase filled with fresh flowers lends a splash of color under the pine branches. The Signal spoke to Jeremy Garcia, who set up the camp.

Q: How long have you been here?

A: Oh, since last year.

Q: Are you working? Are you looking for work?

A: I’m absolutely looking for work….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

New budget offers funding opportunities for nonprofits – April 26, 2021

Local nonprofits shared their stories with members of the city’s budget committee last week. The committee heard pleas to send funds to victims of domestic violence, recovery agencies, and youth programs among 13 organizations.

The contributions are committee recommendations coming from three funds, nondepartmental, general, public safety and business license/room tax. The funds are not confirmed until the budget is adopted in June.

…

Terri Steenbergen, the executive director of The Harbor, an advocacy group for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Clatsop County, sought $15,000 from the revenue sharing funds for the group’s emergency response program….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

In $33M budget, city eyes infrastructure repairs: Avenue S upgrades, bridge at top of city needs – April 26, 2021

Seaside presented its 2021-22 proposed budget in three committee meetings last week. The budget calls for about $33.4 million in revenues and expenditures, up from last year’s $29 million revised budget.

…

The city also plans to develop a coordinated plan with local cities and agencies to address mental health and homelessness issues. “Clatsop County is a small area with limited resources and a regional approach will be needed to address and solve this issue,” Winstanley said….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Police feel the weight of crisis response: A small number of people account for hundreds of police calls – April 24, 2021

Sixteen people accounted for nearly 600 calls to the Astoria Police Department last year.

Many involved drinking in public, emotional outbursts, fighting, welfare checks, abandoned junk and trespassing. They often shared the common threads of homelessness, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse.

While most of the calls did not lead to arrests, court appearances or jail time, they placed a significant burden on police….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Seaside City Council revives plan for homeless forums: Designated homeless encampment needed, resident says – April 14, 2021

A designated homeless encampment is needed in Seaside, resident Sharon Johnson said at an April City Council meeting. “Port-a-potties and dumpsters are direly needed. With the summertime influx of illegal campers with the end of the eviction ban, we are facing a public emergency.”

Funding opportunities to combat homelessness could come from American Rescue Plan dollars, City Manager Mark Winstanley said at a budget committee meeting last Wednesday. The city anticipates $1.4 million from the federal government as part of the government’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Letter: Vicious cycle for those in need by Pamela Cromwell – April 8, 2021

That man from Clackamas County is right (letter, “Time to move transient RVs out of Seaside.”) It’s a travesty that people are living in broken-down RVs parked on the street.

And, unlike housed people and the landlords, they’re using alcohol and drugs! Unlike housed people, these people don’t work or contribute anything to society. Yes, they collect returnables and help keep garbage out of the landfill, maybe. But they’re making a profit on that! How dare they! They could be making, like, $50 a day hogging the returnables machine at the grocery store. That’s only 500 cans and bottles. They’re not poor — they just blow all that cash on drugs. And food!

Plus they’re lazy. I don’t know how they manage to find 500 cans and bottles every day seeing as how they’re stoned and asleep most of the time….

Read the letter in the Seaside Signal here.

Letter: Time to move transient RVs out of Seaside by George Sticka – April 5, 2021

The transient RVs that are being allowed to camp for months across from the public restrooms at 12th and Necanicum need to be moved out of town. These people have expired registration dating back to 2015, they have no insurance, their RVs are not fully functional, some don’t even run, doubtful they have valid divers licenses.

Why is this allowed?

1. The biggest reason is that the RVs can’t be towed because they have a negative value of thousands of dollars. These rigs cost big money to dispose of, nobody will tow them because nobody wants to be stuck paying to get rid of them. Consequently the police don’t even bother enforcing any registration or licensing or insurance laws….

Read the letter in the Seaside Signal here.

City Council lays out two-year, four-year to-do lists: Preparedness, ‘whole gamut of housing’ to be addressed – March 23, 2021

At a goal-setting session in January 2019, the city aimed to reestablish its community emergency response team, stream live meetings and work with the school district to bring a reservoir to the new campus. They helped accomplish all three. The CERT team is in operation and populated with volunteers, meetings are presented electronically on the city’s youtube channel, and the reservoir at the new campus are complete.

“Our feeling is, if you set goals, they need to be measured and accounted for,” Mayor Jay Barber said at the time….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Homeless liaisons to lead outreach in county – March 16, 2021

Clatsop County will soon have two liaisons dedicated to connecting homeless people to social services, along with gathering data and addressing gaps in outreach.

The positions, funded by the county and Clatsop Community Action, grew out of an Astoria task force on homelessness. The liaisons will work under Clatsop Community Action and the agency is trying to secure continuous funding into the future.

The task force envisioned at least two people serving the homeless throughout the county, but limited the position to one due to funding constraints. After securing additional money, Clatsop Community Action hired two people….

Read the article in the Seaside Signal here.

Letter: Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District needs to step up for homeless by Kathleen L. Samsel – March 1, 2021

I am very saddened and very upset with Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District last meeting report. You have failed to live up to the high caring and helping standards of the people of our area.

First, you did not listen to the many folks that questioned your purchase of the old, unsafe middle school. You paid no attention to professional people telling you how dangerous and in need of repair and the costs associated.

Even as the nation was in a COVID-19 pandemic you felt you could move ahead without truly involving the community and listening….

Read the letter in the Seaside Signal here.

Park district cool to warming center in Seaside – February 10, 2021

The future of a warming center in Seaside is in question after Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District board members asked to table the proposal for now.

“This just came in our radar last week,” board member Celeste Bodner said. “There’s a whole coalition of people working on homeless issues for decades. We should be playing a support role, not a main role. I think it’s mission creep and has the potential of alienating folks.”

The warming center had been prepared to open on Saturday in the Sunset Recreation Center, formerly Broadway Middle School, which the park district purchased in January.

Read the entire article here at the Seaside Signal or in the Astorian, here.

Seaside plans warming center: Housed in former middle school – February 2, 2021

A warming center could open later this month at the former Broadway Middle School in Seaside.

Modeled after the Astoria Warming Center, the warming center, housed in the newly renamed Sunset Recreation Center, will provide overnight shelter in inclement weather and when temperatures dip below 32 degrees.

The warming center will be staffed by volunteers who would handle paperwork and conduct COVID-19 screenings. Cots would be spaced at least 6 feet apart in two classrooms, with an estimated capacity of 10 to 20 people.

Read the entire article here at the Seaside Signal.

Trash encampments defy city, pile up at Mill Ponds – December 8, 2020

The entrance to Mill Ponds is only a few feet from U.S. Highway 101 in south Seaside, but a few steps in, the sidewalk ends and low reeds bristle along the water.

Wide paths provide entry into a dark and deeply wooded world. Blinding sun suddenly blazes through the gaps between leaves before you return to the trail. You would only expect night birds, the running of fish, the slap of a beaver’s tail.

As the path grows deeper, bicycle tires, old shoes and twisted rags dot the paths. A dump site holds an old crate, ripped plastic, headless dolls. Suddenly you are stepping into damp pillows, fractured crates, hypodermic needles and crusty coffee cans.

Read the entire article here in Seaside Signal.