WOODLAND, Calif. — When Stephen Chaudhry drives around Woodland, he sees graffiti, temporary shelters and trash littering his town. He sees a homeless problem that he believes has gotten out of control.
Chaudhry says many have been emboldened by Prop 47, which reduced the penalties for certain crimes in Caifornia. Chaudhry's business is security, so he interacts with the homeless population daily and is on a first name basis with many of them.
"Unless you do a violent crime, there's very little chance of you going to jail," explained Chaudhry. "I feel sorry for the police officers. Their hands are tied.
"Open containers, trespassing, loitering, even having small amounts of drugs on you, it's okay now," he added. "Transients know they're not going to get in trouble, so they're going to do what they want to do."
Chaudry also believes that what's needed is a tough approach.
"Marysville used an effective procedure," said Chaudry. " That was three choices for a homeless or transient: get help, go to jail, or get out of our city."
He says the same could be applied in Woodland.
Business owner Steve Curran said his business has been impacted by the presence of homeless people outside.
"We've had them come in our door before," said Curran. "We've had to run them away. I think some of the homeless have some mental issues that need addressing. It doesn't seem like that gets addressed much. They yell. They scream. They disrupt our company. I wish something could be done about it."
James Thompson, a homeless man living in Woodland, said it's hard not knowing where his next meal is going to come from or where he's going to sleep at night. He said his mental health and criminal record prevent him from getting a steady job or housing.
Thompson acknowledged that some homeless people are aware that Prop 47 reduced penalties for some crimes and that it does factor into some of their actions. However, he also feels like the city of Woodland has been doing a good job of reducing homelessness.
"I've seen more within the last year than prior years to help the homeless get up off their feet," Thompson explained. "They've opened up new housing for them, and I've seen them fill up pretty quickly. This time last year, you go to the parking lot and you'd see a hundred people sleeping in the parking lot on cots. And today, the parking lot is empty."
Two facilities in Woodland working to provide services for the homeless are Fourth and Hope, a homeless shelter, and Walter's House, an addiction treatment facility. Many people are served daily at these locations.
Mindaweh Watkins Whittington is a graduate of their programs and said the city of Woodland has a big heart.
"They go above and beyond," she said. "You can't tell me any different. Maybe that's just my opinion, but that's maybe because I graduated from here and maybe because I used the services they provide to me to better myself so I wouldn't continue to face homelessness."
Yolo County is working to address the problem of homelessness. Ian Evans, a clinical manager for the county on the forensics and homeless team, said there are many facets to the problem.
"One of the things I think most communities have realized is you can't just put a roof over someone's head," said Evans. "That's one of the most important things if you look at the basic needs for survival. You need a place to live. You need to have a roof over your head and to feel secure.
"But once you're there, there are some services you may need depending again on if you've had trauma in your life, if you've never lived in an apartment before - or a setting where there's a landlord and do some of that landlord engagement work - and making sure they're connected to care," he added.
He also said Yolo County is trying new approaches.
"I think Yolo County is always trying to be innovative and look at how we can blend funding streams, blend programs, make sure we're looking at the continuum as a whole," Evans explained, "And see who does what piece of the puzzle really well and strengthen that, so that the whole continuum is covered."
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Like many cities, Sacramento is facing a homelessness epidemic. People living through it shared their stories with Lilia Luciano to paint a picture of the many ways any of us, or someone we love, could end up living life unsheltered.