May 05, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Editorial: Homeless center promises life, hope

The new multi-purpose center that will soon begin to arise along Encina Way, between the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Town & Country Village shopping center, promises to be far more than just another civic building or program. It will provide an opportunity, services and hope to an array of homeless persons. It will bring together facilities designed to meet both immediate "survival" needs and help individuals find their way back into mainstream society.

It also will be a living symbol of what "community" means.

That this project succeeded in navigating the plethora of shoals, squalls and reefs is a testament to the leadership of the Community Working Group, spearheaded by Donald Barr, M.D., of Stanford University, and several determined community and church leaders, including school board member John Barton.

As outlined in the Guest Opinion and stories elsewhere in today's paper, the Opportunity Center's services will be far-ranging, coordinated and, we believe, effective in changing the definition of what "homeless" means in the Palo Alto area.

Its planners recognize that homelessness has many causes. For some, homelessness is rooted in mental illness, often linked to addiction -- and some self-destructive choices. But for many others, homelessness is the result of a combination of simple bad luck, personal crises, illness or economic circumstances that occurred beyond their control.

There is a legitimate community concern about the center "becoming a magnet" for homeless persons from beyond the Palo Alto area the center is designed to serve. But those involved have worked hard to develop a security approach that should both respect people's rights and prevent problems. They know that ultimate success and acceptance of the center (both by immediate neighbors and the community) depends on it being well-run and well-supervised, both at the center and in the broader community.

But today's groundbreaking signifies more than a successful effort and a compassionate community. It signifies a hard-headed approach to a problem that has confounded local leaders for decades. What to do about the homeless camping in San Francisquito Creek in the late 1980s and early 1990s once seemed a formidable question.

For years, city officials ducked the issue of providing clean, accessible toilets in parks and commercial areas, primarily because of the "magnet" fear. It wasn't until both merchants and residents voiced impatience and support for public restrooms that the City Council members finally dared to install attractive, self-cleaning, coin-opened toilets -- and provide local homeless persons with tokens to use them.

In the mid-1990s, aggressive panhandling in the downtown area became serious enough to arouse merchants and city officials to move in that area.

But it wasn't until 1998, when a small drop-in center was closed due to flooding, that the Community Working Group began outlining its visionary plan, looking for a site and seeking support and funding. Thanks to federal, state and foundation grants, and Santa Clara County's help with securing the site, the group now is in the home-stretch of seeking the final $1 million of its campaign -- needed to create an endowment that will guarantee long-term building maintenance and help stabilize rents.

The Weekly was an early supporter, stating in November 1998 that "there comes a time when a community must make fundamental decisions about how it wants to treat its most vulnerable members .... With the working group's efforts as a catalyst, it's time for our political leaders to encourage and nurture the emerging plan for a multiuse homeless center and work to win community support for its successful implementation."

Just over a year ago, we observed that "The center appears to be emerging as something of which Palo Alto can be exceedingly proud, and the recent process of openly discussing the concerns of neighbors -- while late -- is an example of what can be accomplished through simple communication, both talking and listening."

With careful, responsible management, we believe the center will emerge as a shining example of what can be accomplished when a compassionate vision is translated to a visionary reality.

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