Vehicles roared by as Steven Doran sat beneath a bridge south of downtown Omaha. An old mattress, a pile of clothes and a shopping cart were among an assortment of items he’d compiled in his four months living under the 13th Street bridge.
“The cops said I can stay here,” Doran said.
An upcoming decision in City Hall could change that.
On Sept. 9, the Omaha City Council will consider an ordinance that if passed would prohibit unauthorized encampments on public property. The proposal, introduced by Councilman Brinker Harding, is intended to address a rise in homeless encampments.
The ordinance would require that police or first responders give people living in encampments the option of transporting to a shelter before issuing a citation or making an arrest. Any person found guilty of violating the ordinance could face a fine up to $300, 30 days in jail, or both.
Harding said his goal is to address a “significant public health and safety issue.”
The District 6 councilman and Congressional candidate said he has seen a rise in homeless encampments in recent months.
“I want to make sure that this does not become a growing problem and that we take care of it before it does so,” Harding said. “I want to make sure that the people who are in these situations can get help and have the opportunity to get to shelter.”
In the past decade, Omaha has seen a rise in people experiencing homelessness, according to data compiled through an annual nationwide count. There’s nuance to that data.
Generally, the homeless population has increased alongside an increase in Omaha’s overall population, said Jason Feldhaus, executive director of Threshold Continuum of Care. The area nonprofit coordinates data and responses to housing needs for the Omaha metro, including the annual point-in-time count.
“In January, the Omaha metro’s (point-in-time) count went down for the first time in five years,” Feldhaus said. “The shelter numbers were down that same night for the first time in five years.”
Feldhaus said Threshold looks forward to working with City Council members on solutions that can effectively address homelessness for the good of the community and the person experiencing homelessness.
“We understand that nobody wants this in their neighborhood, nobody wants it in their parks, nobody wants it in their businesses,” Feldhaus said, “but we just do not have the housing right now to rapidly get people off the streets and in places where they can get the services necessary to maintain that housing.”
There’s a number of reasons an individual experiencing homelessness may decide to camp outdoors rather than stay in a shelter, Feldhaus said.
Shelters often split up couples or require pets to have updated shots and records. Sometimes people are seeking illegal substances, a place to store their things, or simply a spot to sleep away from others.
For Doran, the 13th Street bridge offers something he said is difficult to find at local shelters: a quiet place at night.
“People talk a lot at Siena Francis, and I don’t like that,” Doran said with a shrug.
As discussion around the proposed ordinance heats up, Harding said he’s open to input from the public and nonprofits.
“I want to make sure that what we do is going to be effective, not only for the citizens of Omaha, but also for the people who are part of the solution,” Harding said.
A public hearing for the ordinance is planned for 2 p.m., Sept. 9 in City Hall.
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