BLUEFIELD, W. Va. -The City of Bluefield is planning on holding a public meeting Wednesday on the camping ordinance that passed its first reading on Tuesday. If passed by the City Board, people found camping on public property may soon face a fine, if they repeatedly refuse assistance to find housing.
Bluefield’s City Manager, Cecil Marson, says the proposed ordinance has two goals: the safety of the city’s residents & business owners as well as the safety of the homeless population.
“The design of the ordinance is to make sure we don’t have homeless folks staying in some of our public areas. An example of that would be, you know, as we work on the downtown, the four hundred block, we don’t want, you know, homeless sleeping in the park… We want to make sure that families here feel safe, that they can move around and also, it’s kind of inhumane to let folks sleep on the bench outside when it’s cold. We want to make sure those folks are taken care of and put in a place where they can actually operate safely,” says Marson.
Marson says, right now, Bluefield does not have a large homeless population, but that could change with the city’s projected growth. He calls this ordinance a “proactive step.” Princeton already has a similar ordinance and was one of the cities in West Virginia and other states Bluefield used used as a template for their own ordinance.
But they weren’t the only inspiration. Marson says local input came from agency’s here who help the homeless, like Southern Highlands, the Bluefield Union Mission, and other experts. We interviewed Craig Hammond, the Executive Director of Bluefield Union Mission, shortly after the first reading was passed on October, 22nd.
“I think it’s a good ordinance. I support it wholeheartedly. And I believe any homeless problem that we have in this area, I believe the Bluefield Union Mission is equipped to handle it on site and off site with facilities,” says Hammond.
Marson says the negative reactions to this proposed ordinance are coming from a place of compassion, but he believes this to be the best choice for all parties involved.
“We’re a very kind area; it’s a wonderful area we have here, and so, of course, I think folks want to make sure homeless folks are taken care of, and, of course, we want to make sure all the citizens and business owners are taken care of, but sometimes, those are not always the exact same, but I think we’ve worked with Southern Highlands, the Union Mission, and some other expertise in the area. I think we have a good ordinance that will take care of everyone here in the area,” says Marson.
He encourages those with questions or wanting more information to attend the upcoming town hall meeting.
The Town Hall meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 30th at 6:00 pm. You can find more information about the meeting and the proposed ordinance on the City of Bluefield’s website and Facebook page.
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