Are “Transient” Populations Affecting the Lives of In-Need Homeless?

As the number of people living without homes in Fort Collins continues to grow, so does unrest among local residents and business owners of Old Town who claim that the area is overrun with belligerent transient populations. (Webster’s dictionary defines transient as: a person who is staying in a place for only a short time.) Disturbance calls from shop owners has increased over the last year with complaints of harassment and reports of declining business.

With an increasing population of homeless people in Fort Collins and locals demanding that something be done about them, how can we solve these issues while still providing help to those in need?

In an effort to try and dissuade homeless from overcrowding Old Town, the City Council of Fort Collins proposed the shared public spaces ordinance. The shared public spaces ordinance is essentially a “sit-lie” ordinance that would limit the amount of time a person could rest in public spaces.

While complaints about Fort Collins vagrant population increase and the city scrambles to instill ordinances to control it, members of the homeless population are coming out to protest. With signs reading “homelessness isn’t a crime,” 15 people without homes came to protest the urban camping ban in the city. If the bans were to be lifted, it would mean that those without a place to sleep could legally do so within Fort Collins city limits and not have to fear receiving a citation for the action.

“This is a political statement against the ordinances in Fort Collins,” Elizabeth Osborn said in an interview with the Coloradoan. “Our issues are that we have nowhere else to go, but it’s illegal to sleep at night within the city limits of Fort Collins.”

This peaceful protest shows us that there are members of the homeless community here in Fort Collins who are seeking help in their own way and want to do so without bringing harm to the community. I believe this displays that there is a greater underlying problem in Fort Collins, aside from the homeless in need, that isn’t being talked about.

A majority of reports pertaining to trespassing and harassment in Old Town claimed that the disturbance was caused by a “transient,” whom many differentiate from the population of homeless in greater need. But aside from the rather dull dictionary definition, what is a “transient?”

In his article “Definitions: ‘Homeless’ vs. ‘transient,’ terms differ in meaning,” Florence Norm Meyers separates the two groups by their intent.

According to Meyers, homeless people are those who have lost their home through some means and are seeking help to get back on their feet. Transients, more commonly known as ‘bums’ or ‘hobos,’ are those people who chose to remain homeless and don’t ask for help except in the form of panhandling.

“We’re not all crazy drug addicts living out here so we can get high,” Osborn said. “We’re human beings. We exist.”

This is a differentiation that needs to be made when we discuss issues such as homelessness in our community. We can’t lump transients into the same group as those homeless that desperately need our support to get back on their feet or else we risk losing the chance to provide help completely.

Last month the City Council ended up voting against the “sit-lie” ordinance in favor of a street outreach program. This program would consist of paid staff that would patrol downtown to address and prevent aggressive behaviors and refer services to those in need.

Although I don’t believe this is an end-all solution, it is a step in the right direction. Not only does this pilot program address the problems that transients might cause it also tries to provide help to those who truly need it.
If we want to solve these issues in our city then we need to come together as a community and discuss how we keep our streets safe while still reaching out to those in need.

Although our city has not yet reached a solution, that’s not stopping a few members of our community from making a difference.

Get To Know Your Neighbor or G2KYN is an organization started by CSU students to help spark discussions between CSU students and the homeless community. The organization held a sleep out on the LSC plaza last semester in order to raise student awareness of homelessness in Fort Collins. Unfortunately the site hasn’t been updated for a while and no longer seems to be active.

Bob and Laura Allsup are a couple that just moved to Fort Collins from California and are devoted to Christian ministry. The Allsups willingly give their time each Saturday to provide food and water to the homeless at Jefferson park and a brief bible study for those interested.

Redtail Coffee is a small business near Redtail Ponds, a supportive housing complex for low-income individuals. The coffee shop prides itself in hiring homeless and previously homeless individuals to help them start fresh. The coffee shop recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $50,000 for a new shop, click the link to donate now!