Park and Rec discusses homeless plight
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

Dealing with the homeless population found in Simi Valley’s parks was the topic of discussion at the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District board meeting last week.

The discussion was prompted by the release of a Ventura County report earlier this month that detailed possible ways to end homelessness in the county within 10 years. “We looked at what areas

within the park district boundaries we have homeless people staying at during the night and day, and examined the role we could play in ending this problem,” said Colleen Janssen, marketing and community outreach specialist for the park district. “The discussion served as a review of our role in the homeless situation. We want to know where do we have homeless people, where are people making complaints and if people are nervous about the homeless situation in certain parks.”

According to park district officials, complaints have been filed by a number of residents regarding homeless activity in the community’s large parks, including Rancho Simi Community Park. A few weeks ago, park district officials oversaw the demolition of a makeshift homeless village at Tierra Rejeda.

“There are homeless people in some of the parks, and at times they do make people feel very uncomfortable. People have witnessed them engaging in drug activity and drinking,” said Larry Peterson, general manager for the park district.

Park district officials are currently reviewing their options to help meet the county’s goal of reducing homelessness by 50 percent in the next five years and eliminating it in Ventura County in the next 10 years.

According to the report drafted by representatives from both public and private organizations that deal with the homeless, Ventura County has an annual homeless population of 6,000 people.

On any given day within the county, the average homeless population will be around 1,000 people, with 375 of those people being considered chronically homeless and 150 of them belonging to families of three or more, according to officials.

While the plan did provide some advice for park districts within the county, the majority of the report was dedicated to identifying ways to construct more housing and extend the services offered by public and private providers.

“For now, the park district is basically a minor player in all of this,” Peterson said. “Park districts are mentioned, but it’s mostly dealing with the providers of services for the homeless and the cities within the county.”

The report suggests one proactive step that park districts can take to reduce the homeless populations found in parks: transition services provided to the homeless in parks to residential and non-residential homeless programs. In addition, park districts should enforce rules that discourage homeless individuals from sleeping in parks, bathing in parks, using drugs or alcohol on park grounds and urinating or defecating in public.

“We will continue to enforce the rules with the cooperation of the police department,” Peterson said.

While the homeless problem persists in Simi’s parks, the county’s recommendations give district officials little to do other than to wait, listen and report.

“If we had an active role to play, we would play it. By attending the workshop and discussing the report, I took a bigger action than has been taken by this agency in years. By staying abreast of the developments and keeping my ear to the ground, I’ll be able to advocate for action when it’s needed,” Peterson said. “My attendance sends a clear message that we are paying attention to the issue.”