BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — With growing encampments around the city, homelessness in Bakersfield is a top concern for many. On December 12, the city held a meeting to discuss what kind of actions Bakersfield residents want to see. Although few people attended the meeting, for some of those who did, it was personal.
The city has been provided $5.4 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This money is intended to help Bakersfield address the homelessness issue. The city conducted a survey prior to the meeting, and brought some of those ideas to the table on Monday.
Community stakeholders and members gathered at the city's Community Center next to Mill Creek Park, a park that many in Bakersfield have pointed out is a reflection of the growing problem of lack of affordable housing.
One of the people who was there at the meeting was Edward Robinson.
"It's personal to me as a social worker. It's personal to me as a person who was once homeless," said Robinson.
Robinson got to the meeting early and touched base with some of the homeless people at Mill Creek Park. It's part of what he called recognizing the humanity of people, the same way others have recognized and helped him. It's why it's so important to him to be in a room full of people who just want to find a solution.
"I had to figure out how, and that is how I ended up joining the Army," said Robinson. "I joined the Army August 31st, 2004, and that was a result of my youth pastor getting involved and saying 'Hey, what are we going to do?'"
There are limitations to how the $5.4 million dollars can be used. The money is for housing, so it should be allocated towards things like building or renovating affordable housing, offering rental assistance to keep people in the places they already live, and creating supportive services, among other things.
In the city's survey, residents said the money should be used for what the money is meant for. Most respondents said that there is not enough low-income housing and not enough access to mental health services.
Although city officials did mention that they have been investing in both of those areas, Robinson says there are multiple approaches the city could be exploring.
"They seem to really be leaning towards the idea of development and housing, but I think that may be inequitable. I think we need people to provide low-barrier wrap-around support," said Robinson.
City officials also went over who would be eligible to access the funds, listing people who are currently experiencing or who are at immediate risk of becoming homeless, as well as veterans and those fleeing domestic violence.
Organizer with Lideres Campesinas Veronica Perez was happy to hear that HUD funding was being dedicated to helping people escape domestic violence. She says she has worked with many farmworker women who have lived with domestic violence and that having these funds as a resource can help those women avoid falling into homelessness when they decide to leave.
The process of working out a distribution schedule for the money will begin with the city submitting a blueprint for what they will use the money for to the state by March 2023. Then, the local organizations who will be working directly with the people the money is meant to benefit will apply for chunks of that money.
The City of Bakersfield has until 2030 to use all of the $5.4 million dollars.
