NWA editorial: Homeless, again

UA decides to clear out homeless from land

Little spurs advocates for the homeless into action like a crisis.

We should all be thankful they respond as they do. Many people will find it hard to admit, but deep down, they simply wish the homeless would go away, or at the least disappear from our street corners.

What’s the point?

The University of Arkansas has little choice but to clear land it owns that’s now a magnet for the homeless.

Disappearing is, often, what the homeless do quite a lot of the time. They know how others respond to them. For their own protection, meager as it is, and for a chance to lay their heads down for a while without being asked to move, homeless people become masters at ferreting out camouflaged places where they might, occasionally, get a few minutes of peace.

For years now, dozens of homeless people -- estimates have ranged from 80 to 100 -- have found cover on a large piece of wooded property in south Fayetteville. Peppered with encampments, the thicketed woods off 19th Street have also been the location of violence, even deaths.

What's happening there would concern any landowner. Most would have called law enforcement authorities years ago to have the interlopers removed. This land, however, isn't owned by just any landowner.

The University of Arkansas is landlord to this group of unofficial tenants. Every time a crime happens among the trees there, the college's administrators have to explain that no, it didn't happen on the Fayetteville campus where more than 27,000 students are getting their educations.

Even though it's not the main campus, the land and what happens there is a responsibility of the university. University police, however, say they can't muster a sustained law enforcement response to the various tent cities there. Doing so would draw law enforcement resources away from the main campus.

There's also this wrinkle: The university wants to sell the land.

So, the university has put word out that anyone camped there must get off the property by Sept. 6. The UA plans to clear the brush, making it less of a magnet for those seeking cover.

Is that a harsh response? Hardly. The UA has been quite patient for years. Indeed, it has invited some criticism from nearby property owners for allowing the tent cities to exist at all. But the growing number of incidents of violence is a harbinger that things won't get better, and conditions may diminish, if action isn't taken.

Is the UA supposed to let a situation like this just simmer? No, the prudent thing is to eliminate the attraction. That should not be interpreted to mean everyone there is dangerous. Far from it. Many are just trying to get by. But campus police say they can guarantee nobody's safety in the Wild West atmosphere of a large area of homeless camps. If concentration of poverty is a concern in public housing -- and it's been discussed just recently in Fayetteville -- then concentration of the homeless can't be a good thing, either.

The UA's approach certainly seems to be as humane as it can be. Campus officials have worked closely with advocates for the homeless, who sprang into action once they learned of the UA's plans. They and UA officials have met with those affected to communicate the situation. It's provided opportunities for advocates to assist and educate some of those affected about options for emergency housing and other services. The Salvation Army has expanded available shelter space in anticipation of the need. The Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Car coalition has also kicked into high gear to render aid.

We cannot fault any property owner for doing what's necessary to be relieved of the burden of having homeless people on a property. Indeed, expecting the UA to let people stay on this land is no solution at all for the plight of the homeless. In fact, it may have served as a release on the pressure for local officials to actually find effective long-term solutions.

We are thankful for the organizations, such as 7 Hills, Genesis Church and others who are constantly devoted to rendering assistance to those living the very difficult, uncertain and, yes, scary lives of the homeless. People who want to help should contact them to find out about needs and opportunities for volunteer work and for giving.

But we get it: The land and the unsafe conditions there have become a distraction to the UA's mission. Their move is a necessary one that, eventually, will prove to be the right one for the community.

Commentary on 08/19/2018

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