Can a photo of a woman defecating in downtown SLO persuade us to add more homeless services?
Belongings are stacked along a sign on Highway 101 that welcomes visitors to San Luis Obispo. dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com  Sam Blakeslee was stopped at a traffic signal in downtown San Luis Obispo in June when he spotted a woman with her pants down around her knees, obviously relieving herself in broad daylight. Blakeslee  a former state senator and assemblyman and the president of the Blakeslee and Blakeslee financial planning firm  snapped a photo. The picture shows the unidentified woman squatting, with one arm on a planter box for support. Her head is down and her face isnt visible, but its a wrenching scene nonetheless. Blakeslee posted the picture on Facebook. So I apologize for this photo, he wrote. I wrestled with whether or not to share.  Todays top headlines Sign up for Tribune Afternoon Headlines and get the day's biggest stories in your inbox. Recaptcha SIGN UP This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. This is a photo of a homeless person relieving herself in public at the intersection of Chorro and Monterey at the entrance to our Mission Plaza at 10 a.m. this morning ...  SLO City Council. Whether the answer is improved services or enhanced enforcement  please take action to save our city and help these people!  Photo of woman prompts raw torrent of emotions  Since then, the photo has taken on a life of its own. Blakeslees post generated nearly 100 comments, including many that took public agencies to task for not offering more services for homeless people. $2 for 2 months Subscribe for unlimited access to our website, app, eEdition and more CLAIM OFFER  How hard or inexpensive would it have been to drop off a few Porta Potties, a Dumpster, service them regularly, and inform the squatters that it is up to them whether they are allowed to stay? one person asked. This appears to be a mental health issue, another commenter said. To reduce that population it requires making mental health a priority with preventive, on-going medical services and education. My hope is that there are people smarter than me that can make this happen.  Blakeslee later told The Tribune that he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of comments. It was a raw torrent of emotions that ranged from sadness and despair to frustration and anger, he said. What seems evident to all is that we are in a battle that, frankly, we are losing  and no one wants SLO to deteriorate into another San Francisco or Venice Beach.  KVEC talk radio host David Congalton, who devoted nearly an entire segment to discussion of Blakeslees photo, had a similar response. My reaction to the photo was ... OK, well this is just another day in Los Angeles or another day in San Diego or another day in San Francisco and its coming here now and damn it, are we going to do something about it or are we just going to repeat the problems these other cities are facing? he asked his listeners. If a photo of a woman relieving herself in such a public way can shock the powers-that-be into ramping up services for homeless residents  if a photo really is worth 1,000 words  then the end surely does justify the means. But lets be clear; this single photograph doesnt mean were at a tipping point. This is a rare occurrence, which is exactly why Blakeslee posted this picture. Still, there are plenty of other signs that we need more services for people experiencing homelessness. Walk in downtown San Luis Obispo late at night or early in the morning and youll see people sleeping rough. Check along the highway, and you might spot an encampment. Chances are someones living in there. In other words, if some of the good people of San Luis Obispo County arent already aware homelessness is an issue here, they need to open their eyes. Rene C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com  Whats been accomplished  Over the past several years, local government agencies  often with the help of nonprofits and private donations  have made progress in responding to homelessness issues. 40 Prado Homeless Services Shelter in San Luis Obispo is one example. The conversion of a Motel 6 in Paso Robles into an emergency shelter and permanent low-income housing is another. There are programs that arent so visible, including some that help low-income families avoid eviction, find them primary health care or access to mental health services. Nonprofit organizations offer additional programs. Hopes Village, for example, has provided more than 100 recreational vehicles to homeless veterans. The group also operates a mobile shower program; runs an outreach program the provides food, sleeping bags and other necessities to people living on the street; and helps reunite homeless individuals with their families. And if thats not enough, the groups founder, Becky Jorgeson, remains determined to establish a community of tiny homes that would provide permanent shelter. More aid is coming. A detox facility  the first in the county to serve homeless and low-income clients  will soon open at the 40 Prado campus. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com  The city of San Luis Obispo is creating a of mobile crisis unit staffed with a paramedic and social worker to respond to homeless needs; adding beds to the 40 Prado shelter; and has hired a new homeless response manager. A detox facility  the first in the county to serve homeless and low-income client  is coming to the 40 Prado campus. Yet there are still unmet needs, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness. Theres probably not even a 10-size-fits-all fix. That can be overwhelming, but its no excuse for paralysis  or for delaying action until we embark on yet another study. This issue has been analyzed enough. Its now 12 years old, and homelessness is still with us. Sanctioned campgrounds  Its time to act, and we can and should tackle the most achievable goals first. Heres one: Lets designate a campground in every major community where people can live without fear of being rousted out by authorities  something thats been happening often in San Luis Obispo County. Some areas obviously are inappropriate for encampments, including sites where fire danger is high or where creeks can be polluted. But this is a big county. Such campgrounds  sometimes called safe grounds  already exist or are being considered in other cities, including Sacramento. They can generally accommodate tents, cars, RVs and even tiny homes on wheels. And, unlike most safe parking programs, residents can stay there all day. A subcommittee of San Luis Obispo Countys Homeless Services Oversight Council has been studying the option and recommends opening sanctioned encampments throughout the county as a pilot project. The county Board of Supervisors, however, has not signed off on that specific program. At a May meeting, the board did endorse a plan that includes two pilot programs. One is safe parking and the other is a Blue Bag program that will provide trash collection, sharps collection, basic hygiene services and outreach services to up to 10 existing encampments. The board also approved updating the 10-year plan to end homelessness and development of a communications and engagement strategy that would increase awareness of local homelessness and related challenges, as well as services and resources available...  Sounds like the same old, same old. Weve been studying and planning and forming committees and pontificating for at least 15 years, and there are still huge gaps in services. And frankly, some existing programs arent as successful as they could be. We need to fill those gaps now, or as Sam Blakeslee predicted, we will become a miniature version of San Francisco or Venice Beach. We cant let that happen. Its time for bold action. We need to stop strategizing and start doing.