PSPD says out-of-state homeless are ending up on Palm Springs streets
Athena Jreij
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs Police say travelers from out of the state are ending up homeless in parts of Palm Springs.
In an Instagram post, Chief Andy Mills said earlier this week, “Some jurisdictions and non-profits send people here with little or no support. Some come here for rehab, fail and end up on the street. Last week a man was sent here [with] no support from his home in Montana. Officers sent him home to his family where we hope he gets help. We are working on law to prevent people who fail from ending up homeless on our streets.”
It’s a trend Lt. Mike Torres says the city’s resources can’t keep up with.
“We do have resources, but they are limited. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough for everybody. The beds are completely full. So we had a total ‘X’ amount of beds that we had accessible to everybody. They’re completely full,” Lt. Torres said.
Torres says there’s a misconception the Coachella Valley has abundant resources for the homeless population, with many seeking mental health, addiction, and shelter beds.
“In the last month, we’ve seen a huge influx of people from out of state, out of the county and it’s been tough on us.”
Those resources are something Phillip Wayman, from Salt Lake City, Utah, has benefit from.
“Actually, services have been very good. I mean, California treats their people a lot better than Utah does. You guys don’t let people just sleep on the streets down here. In Salt Lake they got camp sites. They’re very dirty and filthy,” Wayman said.
The burden of more homeless is falling on shelters and local nonprofits, like Well In The Desert. President Matt Naylor says they’ve fed nearly 500 people this year.
“We are the only ‘911’ service for homeless support when they need emergency food. We give emergency food boxes for those that have one foot in and out of homelessness,” Naylor said.
However, Naylor believes the city’s multi-million dollar budget is to blame for the influx.
“I see the influx of new people coming here, but it wasn’t because of abandonment, it’s because we have a $40 million new center. The city council has actually said, hey, we’re going to be for homeless people and we’re going to create a navigation center. So they’ve actually come here thinking they were going to get services when they’re often turned away,” Naylor says.
It’s raising the question if the city needs more resources and shelter beds to handle the growing population.
“We don’t have the manpower to be able to help everybody. That’s where it gets tough, right? I mean, we’re doing everything we can do with what we have, but we’re doing more with less,” Torres said.
For more information on local homeless resources, visit: Shelter & Housing.