CA City Experiments With Homeless Permits

It's an attempt to sort the non-dangerous indigent from their problematic peers

A northern California city is taking a refined approach to its homeless problem by distinguishing the no-good vagabonds from the upstanding ones, reports CBS.

Nevada City Police Chief James Wickham is backing a new program that would hand out permits to non-criminal homeless who just need a place to lay their head (and who, like Snoop Dogg, don't bother nobody). The permits would allow folks to live in a tent, in their vehicles, or even the woods - as long as they aren't troublemakers.

"The goal is to start managing the homeless population within our city," said Wickham, who's so far passed out nearly 10 permits in a city he's identified as home, so to speak, to at least 60 homeless.

It's an idea with supporters among those who themselves are down, but not out. "If they're homeless and heartless, we got a place for them," said a homeless gentlemen named James. "It's called county jail."

Via CBS.

Posted Nov 16, 3pm PST.

Should non-dangerous homeless be permitted to sleep in public?

[CommonSense]

How they determine if you are "dangerous" or not?
Nobody wants to be homeless. It will cost taxpayers less money to just give them homes than to send them to jail.
Give them homes and give them the tools (such as a shower) they need to go out and get a job. Nobody is going to hire a smelly homeless person.

[Sonny]

Agreed...But first---Have your precious "job creators"...start creating some damn jobs!

[PoliticalSpice]

Lack of act of violence should lead to a presumption the person is not dangerous, but I like your solution even better...

[dances-weebles]

people need a permit to be homeless now? how odd.

[RobertJHarsh]

Exactly. I guess I need a permit to die at some point?

[marine1]

This whole damn country is teetering on the brink of od. Never have so many been so screwed up for so long.

[Buggsy888]

@RobertJHarsh YOu do, I just bought a policy for creamation and in the cost was a permit. My God,,you can't even die in peace.

[martydotcom]

@Buggsy888 live in beach front condo. Late friend's wife wanted to scatter ashes in ocean. The condo police told her it was illegal she kicked the guy directly, right on target, in the nuts and the proceeded .
After a storm beach littered with garbage, ashes are a problem?

[dances-weebles]

@martydotcom they call it pollution

[jessejaymes]

Absolutely yes. And it's a good idea to differentiate between the dangerous and non dangerous. Hell of a job in a big city but a good idea.

[dances-weebles]

sounds to me... oh, never mind *shakes head*

[jessejaymes]

@dances-weebles I don't know where you live but I live in Los Angeles area. You go downtown to areas like the Diamond district, the toy district, the garment district and skid row is right there on the streets at night. Hundreds of pop up tents. And every morning around day break they bring in the street washers and wash down the streets and start the homeless on their endless circle of walking. A lot of these people are seriously mentally deranged. A good number of them are criminals who would not do otherwise if given the chance. But maybe a third or a quarter of them are people who just got hammered in this recession and are trying desperately to get out and start over. Those people are preyed upon under cover of darkness by the criminal and mentally ill homeless. I support the possibility of separating those people from the habitual homeless and giving them a shot without living in constant fear.

[dances-weebles]

@jessejaymes i'll guarantee you that we've got a larger homeless problem than any city in california, or, for that fact, in the u.s. we've got people living in doorways, under bridges, and in boxes covered with plastic or paper. shanty towns spring up over night, and people will squat on any available piece of land, or in any empty building. very few homeless people are 'criminals', but use any means that they can to feed their children, even if that means getting a gun and robbing people. it's called survival... and no, they don't prey on other homeless people. what would be the point?

[jessejaymes]

@dances-weebles Well if you're going to take that attitude what's the point? Homeless people do prey on other homeless. I'm reminded of when the L.A. Riots happened behind the King Verdict and my wife asked why black people loot and rob their own poor neighborhoods. Like I told her, "the cops are going to allow them in the rich neighborhoods. They looted and robbed what was available". Same thing with the homeless. And you don't say where you live but unless it's NYC nobody has a larger homeless problem than Los Angeles.

[jessejaymes]

@jessejaymes Correction: "the cops are NOT going to allow them in the rich neighborhoods. They looted and robbed what was available".

[DARSB]

This will bear watching.

[marine1]

why not,seems we have to learn to bear everything else.

[Sonny]

@marine1 "bear everything else". How is some poor slob being homeless ---something that YOU have to "bear"?

[mimi57]

I think it's a good idea, especially if they can identify sex offenders and other criminals. The homeless shouldn't
have to deal with deviants, they're not criminals, they're just homeless.Unfortunately some mentally ill people prefer to be homeless...sad, but true.

[tomincali]

someone is pushing for a license to buy cigarettes why not for homeless as well. next will be a license to use the restroom,cannot flush until it is your turn.

[Thegrif]

Yeap, but them right out front of city hall. The bad ones put in jail.

[Hireman]

"Nearly ten"? Really? The reporter couldn't quantify less than ten?

[MRMacrum]

Maybe he lost a finger or two in a typewriting accident.

[ram84]

why not its better then putting them all in jail and wasting yet more of taxpayers money.. And also agree it will help differentiate between good and bad.if the vagrants believe its a step up maybe they can work on getting out of the slump there in and change there lives for the better. I guess we will see either way.

[Denizen_Kate]

Hmmm ... Nevada City, CA, eh? 60 homeless people? I didn't think the place was big enough for that. It really is a very small town, not what I would call a city. Lovely little place, though ... charming old downtown, great shops and restaurants, a really nice place to visit, but I really only go there because the drive to it is a nice, long, twisty road and I drive a little sports car, so ... yeehah!(Genetically inclined to have a lead foot.)

[Jack-Black]

LOL.

[Hireman]

So glad Californians are so worried about other things than their impending state bankruptcy.

[MikeC]

If you ask a republican they will tell you the poor do not matter and have no rights> Homeless people should be given a hand up and letting them sleep on public property should not require a permit.

[Politicskid]

I think I'd be willing to do this if the libs are willing to cut homeless shelter funding.

[truthsayer]

So now you got to get a government permit to be homeless. Enough said.

[ChangeNow]

@dances-weebles Hmmm...
I consider them all to be progressive liberals.

[ChangeNow]

No. The CBO reports now that Obamacare will cost us $1.7 Trillion. Their estimates continue rising as they continue writing the bill I suppose. Business owners are going to have to be careful with their FTE's (number of workers). So many regulations. They won't be able to give people over 30 hours per week, have over 50 employees or have their workers reject the plan they offer and go into the exchange to buy their insurance. From what I understand , these are just 3 of the regulations that will cause penalties for employers. Besides all that, it's projected that we'll have more people uninsured than the 30 million we had 4 years ago. Has anyone's insurance rates gone down since this was passed ? Mine keeps going up, up and away. No I wouldn't boycott a business because they don't support more of their liberties being stolen. I'm not crazy. My choice is to hold the power/choices of my life in my hands and not give them to a wasteful beurocracy.

[ChangeNow]

Oops, wrong thread.

[gammler]

How does one determine who is dangerous and who is not?

[hwyangel]

Exactly. I was homeless for 8 years myself and every time I went to a labor service, food pantry, shelter, or was stopped walking with a back pack or sitting too long at bus stop, I had to show I.D. Even Salvation Army turns people in for bounty. Its almost impossible to be homeless and a criminal. Where homeless people do commit more misdemeanors (like camping without a permit, loitering, public intoxication or solicitation) , it's people who live in homes that commit the big crimes.

[harold]

Your papers, please.

[nuwey]

California is financially over rated. People make 20 dollars an hour and still living in their cars. Is California part of the USA? I wonder.