Fremont residents calling for action on solutions to homelessness, parked RVs
FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- The city of Fremont is trying to find a solution for its unhoused population, while a group of residents say they've had enough of inaction.
Packy Adams, a 70-year-old man, lives in his car with his dog Zeus.
"This is my best friend, companion, everything," Adams said.
Adams has been unhoused for the past three years.
"Most of the day I go out and recycle aluminum cans or whatever to make money so we can eat," Adams said.
Adams was born and raised in Fremont. He parks in city parking lots overnight where he says he leaves no trace behind.
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"No mess, no complaints, no cops," Adams said.
At Irvington Park, a row of RV's and cars are parked inside a neighborhood.
Sheila Mani said they started popping up six months ago.
"The city I think just moved or shifted from one place to another. It's been bouncing around," Mani said.
Mani lives across the street and says the noise and the fumes of the generators have had a big impact on her family's quality of life.
"It's preposterous for me to even say this, that I'm a prisoner inside my own home," Mani said. "I cannot open the windows of my rooms because of the toxic fumes from the generators that are running in the RV's."
She emphasized that she's not coming from a place of privilege - it's about safety.
"It is extremely hot, they need to have the generators on, they need to have a life too, but how does their problem become our problem?" Mani said.
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Priya Chouhn said it's about safety and privacy.
"Every time we enter or exit our home it just feels like somebody is watching us and we don't at all feel safe in our own home," Chouhn said.
On Tuesday, Fremont city council members were considering adopting a 5-year Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness.
The city says the largest population of homeless folks in Fremont are those staying in vehicles.
Elaine de Coligny, consultant with EdeColigny Consulting LLC, said she'd like the council to emphasize the exit strategy.
"I want to say that while there's a lot of conversation in the community about Safe Parking, safe parking is not a solution to homelessness it is a management strategy. And we really wanted this plan to focus on the solutions," de Coligny said.
According to the city, for every person whose homelessness is resolved, there are more than two people entering the system as newly unhoused.
Adams said he can't park at one of the city's safe parking sites because his vehicle is not registered.
He'll continue to find parking lots where he and Zeus are out of the way.
