As the homelessness crisis persists nationwide, many who lose their homes are forced to live in RVs. If they can’t afford a campsite for their RV, they end up parking somewhere along the street to camp overnight.
With this happening more frequently, some are raising concerns revolving around improper waste disposal and leaks from the RVs, as well as safety concerns for those living on the streets who could be hit by vehicles.
On Tuesday night, the Centralia City Council attempted to alleviate some of these concerns with the first reading of a new RV ordinance that would prohibit camping on roads within city limits and place a time limit on how long an RV can be parked in one spot.
Ultimately, the council voted to postpone the proposed ordinance’s first reading to its first meeting in July.
Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham told the council his department has been dealing with a handful of repeat offenders in RVs, including one RV that was dumped on a Centralia resident’s property last December, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
“This is that same one that’s been moved from here to Rochester, and then it came back. It’s being towed to these different places. This (ordinance) is something that would actually help us to deal with it and possibly stop it as a whole,” Denham said.
The proposed ordinance would help the police department better handle these RVs, Denham said. While completely prohibiting overnight camping along streets and in publicly owned parking lots, the proposed ordinance would force those living in RVs to move every 16 hours.
Penalties for ordinance violations would be fines ranging between $20 and $500, depending on the particular parking offense.
Councilor Elizabeth Cameron shared concerns about the people living in the RVs and their need for permanent housing and services.
Cameron heads the city council’s Homeless Task Force, which was created last December to aid the city in proposing solutions to many of the issues those experiencing homelessness face. Those proposals are expected to be discussed at the next city council meeting.
“Stay tuned for some of those proposals,” Cameron said.
She wasn’t the only council member who shared those concerns, as council member Mark Westley also expressed a desire to help those experiencing homelessness.
“Hopefully there’s some kind of leap between the cleanup we’re able to do, but yet still mitigating and working with these people and helping them find solutions, instead of just saying, ‘We’ll kick the can down the road, see ya later, try and find another place and good luck,’” Westley said.
During public comments, Lisa Striedinger spoke out in opposition to the proposed ordinance. Striedinger is a certified peer specialist for Friends Without Homes, a local nonprofit focused on providing outreach and resources to those experiencing homelessness.
“I can empathize with all these things that everybody is saying. The leakages, the people sitting on the sidewalk, parked in front of your homes. You have homes. You have no idea what these people are going through,” Striedinger said, later adding, “(RVs) are people’s homes. They don’t have any other choices with the rising cost of housing.”
She implored the council to find a more humane solution to the RV parking and camping problem and work to get more affordable housing available within the city.
Cameron motioned to postpone the ordinance’s first reading to the council’s first meeting in July after Striedinger’s speech. That will allow the Homeless Task Force to share its proposals before the city moves forward with the RV camping ban and parking restrictions.
The council voted 4-3 in favor of Cameron’s motion, with Westley, Mayor pro-tem Cameron McGee and Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston voting against the postponement.
