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A booming real estate market has benefitted many in Santa Clara County, but many others have not been so fortunate. Homelessness here in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country is a problem that affects everyone. Thousands of individuals and families are currently homeless, and hundreds have resorted to living alongside our local creeks.
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With homelessness comes a lack of basic services such as sanitation. Without those services, trash and waste routinely find their way into our local waterways, where they impair the environment and water quality. Encampments along streams result in damage to creek banks and substantial increases in the volume of trash and debris that wind up in creeks and the San Francisco Bay, in addition to posing a serious safety issue for both the homeless and other residents.
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The water district works diligently to keep our waterways clean. In fiscal year 2015, which stretched from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015, our crews removed 1,209 tons of trash and debris at 368 sites. That’s not counting the trash picked up by the volunteers we coordinate for National River Cleanup Day and Coastal Cleanup Day each year, which can include trash from encampments.
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But the problem persists, and so, aside from cleanups, the water district is working with partners to address the underlying issues that cause homelessness. We are collaborating with other agencies serving the unhoused—the County Office of Supportive Housing and Destination: Home—as partners in the five-year collaborative Community Plan to End Homelessness. More housing and social services are needed to reduce the impacts that homeless encampments cause.
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Our efforts don’t stop there. To help define our role and determine new ways to address a problem that hits so close to home, the water district board of directors recently established an ad-hoc committee on homelessness. This committee will comprise board members Richard Santos, Tony Estremera and John Varela. They look at ways to work more effectively with our public, private and nonprofit partners as well as the unhoused to help keep our creeks clean.
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It is our obligation to do what we can. Protecting our waterways means protecting the health of our water resources, and it also means spending taxpayer money wisely. The water district has spent more than $2.7 million over the last three fiscal years on homeless encampment cleanups, and we currently spend $175,000 a year to support a park ranger program with the City of San Jose that helps prevent homeless encampments along waterways.
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Years ago, the water district brought cities and community organizations together to address the issue of homeless encampments in our creeks. We have seen numerous successes, and have enjoyed strong partnerships ever since. We will continue to leverage those partnerships in the future, developing new ideas and working together to make sure our creeks, which belong to everyone, stay clean and healthy.
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To help keep our creeks clean, sign up for National River Cleanup Day at cleanacreek.org.
Submitted by Santa Clara Valley Water District Director John Varela, on behalf of SCVWD. For further information, contact Varela at
jv*****@va*********.org
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