By: Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
As the summer progresses, and the warm weather allows for sleeping comfortably outside, the homeless population migrate to county climbs including Alpine. Lately, the laid-back atmosphere, and quiet nightlife is very attractive to those who are not afraid of sleeping a little rough, or living out of their vehicles or even a U-Haul truck. Homelessness is a faceted and extreme social dilemma for which there is no easy solution.
By: Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
As the summer progresses, and the warm weather allows for sleeping comfortably outside, the homeless population migrate to county climbs including Alpine. Lately, the laid-back atmosphere, and quiet nightlife is very attractive to those who are not afraid of sleeping a little rough, or living out of their vehicles or even a U-Haul truck. Homelessness is a faceted and extreme social dilemma for which there is no easy solution.
In the past Alpine has been host to characters who have discerned their own living spaces on business properties as well as private properties. Alpine has always had a history of little communities of homelessness, but that population is growing to beyond the known areas, and branching out along Alpine Boulevard.
One lady in particular, has set up her home in the middle of the Boulevard, and seems to be trying not to impact others, but at the same time, she is doing just that. Her kindness is evident; she smiles easily, and cares deeply for her cat. But her personality, while often pleasant, becomes quite snappish when she doesn’t get what she wants. She seems very well educated in the rights of the homeless, as well as the rights of the transient, and is not above imposing on a property to store her belongings, or use utilities such as water and electricity that doesn’t belong to her.
This lady is well known by the sheriff, and as one sheriff put it, “She is her own worst enemy”. She knows that if proper signage is not posted then a transient can claim that they had no knowledge that they were trespassing. The Alpine Sheriff’s have suggested that she make her way down to San Diego, where there are facilities and can help her with her situation, but she has yet to migrate from Alpine. However, another law enforcement officer said that there are just not enough services to handle the overwhelming issue of homelessness. He said that in the city of San Diego, the homeless are often just shuffled from one street corner to another.
The County officials recognize the growing problem, and say that often the homeless population is on the street because of substance abuse, mental illness, or both. Financial destitution also plays a part in this situation as our economic climate and the returning veterans and early release of prisoners exacerbate the vagabondage. The County also recognizes the fine line between homelessness as a social issue and a criminal issue, as the one may eventually lead to the other, and site that it is not only a blight on our community but a blight on our humanity as well.
The churches in Alpine have offered assistance in the form free bag lunches, but the question of lodging for these individuals in need in Alpine remains unanswered. Alpine doesn’t seem to have any resources to house itinerant, homeless people. So, it is not uncommon to see them walking along, making their way up and down Alpine Boulevard, looking for recyclables to turn in for cash, and huddling behind certain businesses at night.
To better serve the community, one must be informed of their obligations, and their rights. For the business owner, one must know that proper signage must be posted on your property in order for the sheriff to help you with a possible vagrancy problem. The signage should include a warning of possible vehicle towing at the owner’s expense. These signs can be obtained from local Towing Companies.
Compassion is still important, as well as safety for everyone. It is very important to not overreact to a situation, overreacting or creating more tension in an already tense situation can lead to more problems.
The sheriff can best decide how to handle an incident, they are trained individuals that often know more about the situation than you can imagine.
