Beaumont council presses enforcement, explores relocation options for Calder-area homelessness

The Beaumont City Council used a Sept. 16 work session to review a year of enforcement under the city's camping ordinance and to discuss short-term and longer-term options to address encampments concentrated near Calder Avenue and the McFadden/Salvation Army area.

Assistant City Manager Chris Boone said staff created an interdepartmental task force that includes police, code enforcement, parks, public health, solid waste and planning, and that the team has done targeted cleanups, posted notice signs and pursued nuisance cases against property owners. "The purpose of today's work session is to review and discuss, the issue of homelessness within the city of Beaumont," Boone said.

Staff reported 54 private-property locations identified with camping violations and that council had declared 13 of those properties public nuisances during the past year; eight property owners complied and abated conditions, the presentation said. City crews and contractors removed two abandoned RVs, and city departments run weekly debris and sidewalk cleanups in high-traffic locations; staff also fed cleanup photos into a real-time camera feed in partnership with providers.

Nut graf: Council members expressed urgency about Calder-area businesses and downtown residents and directed staff to return with a cost analysis of city cleanup and enforcement efforts, to seek follow-up meetings with regional partners including the Salvation Army and the Dream Center, and to explore whether existing nonprofit provider locations could be relocated to less residential or commercial industrial sites.

Costs and options: Boone told council that a primitive, city-run campground or managed encampment is not a simple, low-cost fix. "The initial cost is just the beginning," he said, and ongoing management, security, sanitation and case management can run into roughly $1 million a year in other jurisdictions, staff said. For that reason staff had not recommended a primitive camp without a sustainable funding and management plan.

Enforcement and next steps: Council members asked staff to produce a tally of direct city costs (cleanup crews, staff time and contracted removal) and to confirm whether the city has issued citations under the camping ordinance. Staff said they will set up a targeted intergovernmental meeting with the Regional Planning Commission and Jefferson County and will invite local providers, including the Salvation Army and the Dream Center, to discuss potential relocation, partnerships and funding arrangements. Staff also said they will research whether nuisance or zoning tools can be used to address noncompliant provider locations.

Ending: Council members said they want faster relief for Calder and downtown businesses and residents and asked for an actionable plan and cost estimates at a follow-up meeting.