Pasadena Homeless Advocates Warn Governor’s Encampment Removal Order Could Backfire

Local homeless service providers in Pasadena are voicing strong concerns over Governor Gavin Newsom’s Thursday executive order that state agencies dismantle homeless encampments on state-owned property. They warn the mandate could severely disrupt their efforts to build trust and provide assistance to those experiencing homelessness.

Newsom’s order, issued on Thursday, July 26, directs state agencies to urgently address homeless encampments while ensuring the dignity and safety of unhoused individuals. It follows the earlier Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass, empowering local governments with substantial state funding to take similar actions.

Rabbi Joshua Grater, Executive Director of Pasadena-based Friends In Deed, expressed apprehension about the order’s potential impact. 

“I will say the [Supreme Court] decision —  and now the decision to look to enforce it — really makes … our job harder, not easier,” Grater said, “because the folks who are in these encampments, our team is trying to work with them and is trying to build trust and rapport with them and is trying to offer them services.”

Grater said that clearing encampments could have unintended consequences. 

“It can make it difficult for our team to find people they’ve been working with,” he explained. “It could have a negative effect and setbacks of people who want to talk to us because they might feel some trauma from this.”

Shawn Morrissey, Vice President of Advocacy and Community Engagement for Union Station Homeless Services, echoed these sentiments. 

“Cleaning up encampments, you’re moving people from the communities they’ve created on the street to help them be safe together,” Morrissey said. 

Morrissey, who has lived experience with homelessness, added depth to his perspective.

Both advocates highlighted the potential for the order to disrupt ongoing efforts to transition individuals into housing. 

Grater noted that any trust built with unhoused individuals could be eliminated, requiring a reset in their outreach efforts.

Morrissey expressed concern about the criminalization of homelessness. 

“Anytime you criminalize homelessness, we’ve seen this happen before over the decades. It doesn’t change the problem. It just creates more problems,” he said, “because people become entangled, [the justice system becomes] involved. Once they’re justice-involved, that may take them off the forward movement of the housing track that they have been on.”

The service providers also pointed out practical issues with encampment sweeps. Morrissey mentioned that people’s property, including essential items like medication and warm clothing, is often destroyed or discarded during these operations.

Despite the governor’s claim that the order aims to ensure dignity and safety, local advocates argue it may have the opposite effect. They said that there isn’t sufficient shelter or housing available to accommodate displaced individuals.

Grater referred to studies indicating that such policies have no positive effect on ending homelessness or getting people off the streets. Instead, he suggested, it merely moves the problem around without addressing root causes.

The executive order is part of a broader strategy by Newsom’s administration, which has invested over $24 billion to combat the housing crisis. 

Newsom encouraged local governments to apply for $3.3 billion in Proposition 1 funding to expand behavioral health services, focusing on the most vulnerable populations.

The contrast between state mandates and local strategies highlights the complex challenges in addressing homelessness. Morrissey linked the executive order to the recent Grants Pass ruling, suggesting that without this ruling, the executive order might not have been issued.

As implementation of the governor’s order unfolds, Pasadena’s homeless advocates continue to emphasize the importance of building trust and providing consistent support to those experiencing homelessness.