Incidents Associated With Vagrant Individuals
Certain individuals have exhibited undesirable behaviors in various areas of the neighborhood putting them in conflict with residents. This section tracks circumstances & describes follow-up actions.
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Background
The incidents & circumstances described in this category tend to arise at different times in various locations around the neighborhood. Many resolve fairly quickly with little or no community engagement while others linger and may require the community to take action.
The individuals exhibiting the undesirable behaviors described in this section are neither property owners nor tenants in our area. By all appearances they are vagrant. They may also fairly be referred to as "unhoused' or "indigent". Use of these words should not be considered derogatory. They are used here merely as descriptive terms.
Some definitions...
Vagrant: a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and may live by begging. a wanderer.
Indigent: Experiencing want or need; impoverished. Lacking or deficient. Wanting; void; free; destitute.
Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered: The condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. When people desire a permanent dwelling but do not have one.
It's important to recognize a person's current status may result from a variety/combination of causes including mental illness, job loss, or drug use. A person may or may not wish to change their current status or address the cause(s).
It is not illegal to be homeless, indigent, vagrant or to refuse help. Certain behaviors cross the line, of course. Even so, there are legal and practical considerations that limit the options for law enforcement. Addressing incidents involving individuals in these status categories is very, very, very difficult as a result.
Unhoused individuals, people living in poverty and vagrant individuals have been present along the Monroe Avenue corridor for many years. We see them sleeping out in the open, panhandling and generally hanging out in our midst. Conflicts between these individuals and residents, however, are relatively uncommon in Upper Monroe. In those cases when conflict arises action may be appropriate.
Incidents in this category
Resources related to this general topic
AUDIO RECORDINGS - Click on the files below to open and listen to two audio recordings (approximately 20 minutes long each) from a public meeting hosted by NBN6 at the Olmstead Lodge on September 9, 2024.
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