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Advocate urges caution on camping enforcement, highlights outreach successes
Summary
A Stevens Point community worker said shelter residents are being harassed and had belongings taken; he described success placing people into jobs and urged the council to avoid criminalizing homelessness while ensuring safety.
A local outreach worker who identified himself as Larry told the council he works closely with people experiencing homelessness and urged the city to avoid punitive responses that push people into more vulnerable conditions. He told the council some shelter residents face harassment and loss of belongings and questioned why public drinking is enforced unevenly in different areas of the city.
Larry also described examples of successful outreach: volunteers and outreach teams who cleared cigarette waste at a bus stop and helped a man secure employment and housing. He said recovery is possible — "I'm 30 years over clean and sober," he said — and asked the council and public not to judge people based on appearances. The council did not announce policy changes at the meeting; the public comment was entered into the record for future consideration.
