With homelessness issues on rise, Sterling bans public camping

STERLING – Public camping is now banned in Sterling as city officials try to address issues that have arisen with Sterling’s growing homeless population.

The Sterling City Council passed an ordinance adopting the ban at its meeting Monday.

The ordinance bans public camping, including setting up campsites, tents and bedding or sleeping in vehicles on public property, such as sidewalks, streets, parks and city-owned land. Sleeping in a vehicle overnight is prohibited, with violations occurring if a vehicle is parked for more than two hours between midnight and 6 a.m. without city permission.

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, in the case of City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, overturned a lower court’s ruling that had prohibited cities from enforcing public camping ordinances, which had been deemed cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Now, municipalities can create and enforce these ordinances, even if local shelters cannot accommodate their homeless populations.

Mayor Diana Merdian said the ordinance is meant to help the city deal with a small but problematic portion of Sterling’s growing homeless population, some of whom refuse help and come from outside of the community.

“As somebody who has worked with homeless youth and families for the last 10 years, this is near and dear to my heart,” said Merdian, who worked with at-risk youth and their families through her job at the Regional Office of Education. “I take this very seriously. This is never a first line of defense, but it is something that we can have in our tool belt.”

The city has been searching for a way to deal with the increasing number of complaints from businesses, public facilities and residents regarding homeless individuals breaking the law or harassing people.

The Sterling Police Department responded to more than 700 service calls regarding homeless individuals between Sept. 1, 2023, and Sept. 17, 2024, Police Chief Alex Chavira said. Those calls resulted in 113 arrests and nine citations, including in connection with property crimes, drug-related offenses, violent crimes, disorderly conduct and public disturbance, obstruction and identification issues, as well as violations of sex offender registration and protection orders.

“This ordinance is just another tool for us. The ultimate goal for the police department is to continue to respectfully have conversations with these folks, treat them with dignity and respect, earn their trust and put them in contact with the resources that better help their situation.”

—  Sterling Police Chief Alex Chavira

Fines and penalties

The following fines and penalties will be levied on those who violate the public camping ordinance:

• First violation within 24 months: $75 fine
• Second violation within 24 months: $150 fine
• Third violation within 24 months: $350 fine
• Fourth violation within 24 months: $500 fine
• Fifth violation within 24 months: $750 fine
• Sixth or subsequent violation: $750 fine or possible incarceration

Individuals also can opt to perform public service instead of paying fines by cleaning the rights-of-way and other public facilities at minimum wage.

“This ordinance is just another tool for us,” Chavira said. “The ultimate goal for the police department is to continue to respectfully have conversations with these folks, treat them with dignity and respect, earn their trust and put them in contact with the resources that better help their situation. I don’t believe a ticket is going to fix the issue. We’re not going to rip the Band-Aid off and start kicking people out of public places. That’s not the intent of this at all.”

Twin Cities PADS homeless shelter

Twin Cities PADS shelter director Myles Newberry said that although he appreciates the city’s efforts to help, what he needs is additional staff, volunteers and funding to help with the shelter’s growing population.

“We have capacity for 32 [people], and up until this last year, I would normally see five to 10 people a night,” Newberry said. “Right now, I’m seeing 30, if not filling up the shelter completely. It’s never been like that in my 14 years of doing the shelter.”

The shelter depends on four paid employees and a mix of volunteers. However, Newberry said the shelter recently lost one of its full-time employees, and his volunteer base has been declining over the years. Ideally, he said, the shelter needs another eight people helping full time: two caseworkers and six staffers to oversee the facility around the clock.

“I’ve currently got three [employees] helping me look after 30,” Newberry said. “I’m beyond grateful for the volunteers we have, and I could not do this without them, but we need more help.”

One of the main issues the shelter and the city said they are dealing with is mental health and substance abuse issues among those experiencing homelessness. There are several services and programs homeless people can use from organizations throughout Sterling, including Lutheran Social Services, the Sterling YWCA, the Tri-County Opportunities Council and others.

“LSSI provides us with all kinds of services to help our residents,” Newberry said, “everything from mental health to helping them look for apartments and so on. The hard part is getting them to accept those services. I can’t force people to get help.”

Everyone involved has said the same thing – there is no one answer for these problems.

“I think an ordinance like this is a necessary first step,” Alderman Joe Strabala-Bright said. “This is not the end of this discussion, but this is the start of where we as a city are trying to move with this issue.”