The clearing of the homeless from the State Forest last week was startling and callous. But one thing remains quite clear, we don’t have a homeless problem, we have a housing problem.
Last week, a set of hired hands went into an encampment in the State Forest to remove tents, sleeping bags, garbage and other items belonging to the Island homeless who have made a home there. Island officials have reported that identifications, medications, and other personal belongings were taken in what felt like a raid.
There are unanswered questions about who precisely ordered this action and what has happened to the unhoused who had taken to sleeping in the forest. What is very clear is that the optics are not good for the state. And as the news continues to come out, the state officials are cast in an unflattering light. While the department issued a statement that they believed just three to five people were impacted, agencies on the Island said there were 23 individuals and two minors, and they have a documented list.
Worse still, while the state said they warned individuals that they were clearing the area, local officials say that they did not do a good enough job getting the word out — or at least only a handful of those living in the woods say they were notified.
Also, local police and other agencies, including the nonprofit Harbor Homes that provides assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness, say that they were not warned beforehand. Seemingly spur of the moment, an Edgartown officer who happened to be on a routine patrol in the forest was flagged down by the state before the raid, in the absence of any environmental or other police on scene.
We believe the state acted callously for a situation that needed careful consideration and most importantly, compassion for individuals who have been pushed out of society and have found no other place to go but the woods. What came instead was a careless disregard for the plight of people who are struggling, and that is not the Island way. That’s not who we are.
Fortunately, as the Vineyard does, a group of agencies and nonprofits including Harbor Homes, Island Grown Initiative, and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital are scrambling to fill a void and stepping up to supply much-needed aid to those who have been displaced. They continue to work to fill prescriptions, provide food, and try to find shelter. They are stepping up and helping — the true Vineyard way.
Had there been better communication from the state, maybe this disaster could have been avoided at the very beginning.
To be clear, the State Forest is no place for anyone to live. Camping increases the risk of wildfires that would have a profound impact on the entire Island if there were to be an uncontrolled burn.
But while they are not helping, the homeless aren’t the main concern for wildfire risk. Maintaining the forest by removing dead debris and other “kindling” is the better way. One state official told us this week that a contributing factor to not effectively mitigating fire risk in the State Forest is because of a lack of staffing, which, ironically, relates to a lack of housing. With no housing for the state to hire workers, how do we do what’s needed for fire mitigation?
Which leads us to the real issue: Housing. As reported last week, the median home price on the Island has ballooned to over a million dollars; the pandemic exacerbated housing prices. The average home is over $2 million. How do you work a minimum wage job or even a middle-income job and afford a million-dollar home? It’s no wonder that there is a population of homeless individuals who, with nowhere else to go, are living in the woods. Our recent reporting has found that the population is growing, and that does not include a seemingly impossible to count population who are sleeping on couches, in cars, and other temporary locations.
We are disheartened that this week state lawmakers were not able to pass housing legislation that would have included a provision to help municipalities raise money through a tax on high-end real estate, also called a transfer fee. It’s been a popular idea that has been blocked by the real-estate lobby at Beacon Hill. But lawmakers, with the signature of the governor on Monday, did manage to pass significant housing legislation that will have a direct impact on Martha’s Vineyard. The legislation will make it easier to build affordable housing and will help municipalities house their staff. Still, more needs to be done to help in the long-term goal of providing more affordable housing.
But more immediate is how do we house the most vulnerable in our community. That’s a difficult question that will take an Island-wide discussion — with the help and consideration of state officials — that needs to be addressed. We are comforted to know that Island agencies and nonprofits are working together to find a solution. We want to hear your solutions. Please drop us an email at editor@mvtimes.com. And we will highlight some of the best solutions in this space later in the month.
Without greater attention to the larger problem of affordable housing, we worry we’ll end up right back at square one, with a homeless population once again desperately seeking shelter in the shadows of the State Forest with nowhere else to go. If that happens, we as a community will have missed a chance to see the forest from the trees.
Your premise that these people are just regular island folk could not be more wrong. Admittedly there’s a few seasonal residents camping out in the woods for a couple of months which isn’t a bad deal when you consider the money they can make being here for the summer. But what I think we should be really concerned with, and not doing enough about, are the chronically homeless. Let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Not all, but many, have mental health and substance abuse issues. There are many islanders who would just like to warehouse them in “shelters”. This makes the “do-gooders ” feel like they are doing something and then the homeless are off their radar. Well, shelters house loose dogs, not people. Humans need help and I really don’t think islanders are willing to admit these people have a problem and islanders are not ready to help them. Let’s clutch our pearls and hope the problem goes away. Or even worse, enable it and let it grow. Let’s call it what it is and really try to help these people.
The MV Times is disingenuous in singling out the Department of Conservation and Recreation for its ham-handed actions in clearing out illegal homeless encampments in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. This spring, Harbor Homes handed out tents to winter shelter individuals, as you reported in a previous story (June 27, “The Island’s Hidden Homeless”). The reporter never asked Harbor Homes how it benefits people, many of whom need social and medical services, to give them the means to camp, knowing that they would likely be doing so illegally in an environment without access to cooking or toilet facilities and exposed to tick-borne illnesses. Ask more questions.
What Nelson? You mean the Vineyard papers should do actual journalism? Don’t be preposterous. That’s what reporters and editors like you used to do.
Lack of mental health care. If we allow the FIRST shelter to be built, (How is it that there has never been a year-round shelter?) then mental health care at the shelter can be provided. In my long life, I have observed that those most in need of mental health care, are least likely to search for a way to get mental health care. Humans who do recognize their need for mental health care are currently put on a waiting list. As far as I know, my brain is part of my body, and the health of my brain is essential to my overall health and success as a Human. But what do I know? Responding to the needs of the most needy is the measure of a community.
“But while they are not helping, the homeless aren’t the main concern for wildfire risk.”
It’s important to take every available step at once to prevent forest fires. I don’t view it as a question of which is the greater risk, kindling or camping.
In fact, one increases the odds of the other becoming a serious problem. We can’t have anybody lighting fires among the neglected debris.
Better maintenance on a consistent basis is, of course, also vital for ensuring public safety. Scary to know it’s been lacking to this degree.
That said, the removal of tents and deeply personal belongings never should’ve happened in the manner it did. The state’s failure to get social services involved beforehand caused such unnecessary pain. Details are still emerging, each worse than the last.
When Harbor Homes closed for the season, I was worried that, despite best intentions, they were encouraging an inadvisable relocation to the forest by handing out tents. Which no one can be faulted for using.
We really do need a year-round shelter. It would not go to waste. Protection from heat, and from overexposure to ticks, should be a priority, just like cold weather.
I’m grateful so many have stepped up. Thank you for your efforts.
There’s some concern that homelessness
is caused by mental health issues.
How about instead we look to another culprit:
Corporate investors.
What happens on the mainland is
connected. Rising prices elsewhere puts
pressure to raise prices here. Turning residential
homes into profit centers—anywhere—is a very
bad idea.
Let’s be wary of corporate owners. Let’s be wary of short-term rentals.
https://jacobin.com/2024/05/single-family-homes-rentals-wall-street#:~:text=Institutional%20investors%20in%20single%2Dfamily,Stakeholder%20Project%2C%20a%20watchdog%20group.
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