Sioux City residents are being encouraged to report homeless encampments through a new online reporting portal. City officials say as they remove encampments, a Homeless Assistance Response Team will try to connect people with resources they need.
Monique Scarlett, president of the local advocacy group Unity in the Community, worries those homeless people could be harassed or bullied.
“I believe the intentions might be correct,” Scarlett says, “but how we navigate it is going to be very important for the safety of our community members, the safety of our unhoused people.”
The head of Sioux City’s Warming Shelter says having a direct way to report concerns allows service providers to help the homeless population without tying up emergency services that are already stretched thin. Scarlett says her organization works to build trust between local residents and law enforcement, and she says Sioux City’s homeless population is growing.
“Our country’s economic situation is not getting any better,” Scarlett says. “More people are losing their jobs. There’s more mental health issues than ever before. Our youth of homeless population has increased, so it’s not going away.”
Scarlett believes the reporting tool was launched with good intentions but she worries about misuse and unnecessary confrontations.
“We can’t bully it out. We have to learn how to help and assist and build community instead of breaking the community,” she says. “That’s how I feel about it.”
In June, Sioux City Council Member Rick Bertrand reportedly called the community’s homeless shelter a “public nuisance,” which prompted a demonstration in front of City Hall to show support for the shelter.
(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)