Little Rock city government’s decision to prohibit tent distribution at the upcoming “Unsheltered Spring Event” on March 29 is rubbing folks the wrong way.
One of those people is Aaron Reddin, founder of the homelessness organization The Van, who has bowed out of attending the city’s event and started collecting tents to distribute on his own.
Not offering shelter at an event for the unsheltered population feels like a kick from a community that just doesn’t seem to grasp the issue at hand, Reddin said. “It’s not a secret that our shelter system is wholly inadequate,” he said. The Compassion Center is really the only place for people to go for a lengthy stay, Reddin said, and it’s not handicap accessible.
Aaron ReddinLittle Rock spokesperson Aaron Sadler said tents won’t be passed out at the event because camping in the city without special written permission goes against city ordinances. Anyone who violates this is subject to the “immediate removal from the park of their person and belongings,” the code states.
Sadler, relaying a statement from the city’s director of Housing and Neighborhood Programs Kevin Howard, said city staff works with unsheltered residents for sometimes months at a time to direct them to resources and support before their encampment is removed.
“Our homelessness engagement specialists go to great lengths to provide assistance to all our unsheltered residents, especially in advance of actions to remove encampments,” Howard said. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to comply with the law as it relates to camping on public property, and we must be responsive to complaints from other residents regarding encampments that violate city ordinances.”
The anti-tent decision initially caught Reddin off guard, he said. It was already unlikely The Van was going to attend the spring event because of limited staff and a lack of resources, but prohibiting tents sealed the deal.
The Van would never consider joining an event that tried to “dissuade some type of shelter from the elements,” Reddin said. So instead of prepping for the city’s event, The Van has been stocking up with tents to pass out nearby on March 29. Reddin has secured more than 200 tents for anyone who needs one, he said.
The tents cost nearly $2,500, though some of that cost has been offset with funds from T-shirts people purchased from The Van. And some people have donated and shipped tents to the warehouse at 4500 W. 61st St., Little Rock, AR 72209, Reddin said.
Reddin has long been direct and blunt when advocating for the unsheltered population. When it comes to his personal involvement, he said he’s not worried about repercussions that may come from passing out the tents when the city is directly against it.
“I worry about my volunteers when they’re out in the van; I don’t want them to be swept up in any of it,” he said. “I don’t care about me. What are they going to do? Lock me up?”
Mary HenniganHigh stakes
The tent situation seems to be forming a wedge between The Van and the city, and Reddin worries about their long-running partnership in setting up emergency shelters to protect unsheltered people during extreme weather. While the city is optimistic about working together in the future, Reddin has more of a sour feeling.
“I can’t in good faith work with people who team up with me on shelter during extreme weather and then three weeks later bring a tractor out to level the shelter of the same people,” Reddin said.
Sadler said the city finds The Van’s team instrumental in shelter operations and looks forward to future collaborations, including as a resource for when the first chief homelessness officer joins city staff.
The city’s practice of dismantling encampments is also something that Reddin struggles with when working with the city, he said.
Referring to one individual specifically, who is a double foot amputee, Reddin said the city removed his camp that was set up near pavement that he could use a wheelchair on. With his shelter taken away, the man has been left out in the elements, immobilized by mud.
“I will not participate in anything to do with Little Rock City Hall again until someone physically comes out and tells a man with no feet that they’re sorry for crushing his shelter, knowing he can’t get into a single shelter in town,” Reddin said.
Ideally, Reddin said, the city would consider other set locations for the homelessness population to set up a place to stay while the micro-home village is under construction. Up to 206 people will be able to stay in the village on Roosevelt Road when it’s complete, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Rather than tearing down encampments elsewhere in the city, could officials organize a secure area where tents are allowed until the village is ready? If not, Reddin also wondered if the city could ease up on razing camps while construction is underway.
When the city removes tent camps that belong to the homeless population, “they’re essentially saying ‘Go be homeless someplace else.’ It doesn’t make sense,” Reddin said.
So, what about Reddin’s ideas for short-term solutions? Sadler said, “Of course, the city is always looking for ways to assist our unsheltered population, but at the same time we are required to follow city ordinances.”
