Fresno nonprofit leaders say bed space running low as city moves to ban homeless encampments

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno nonprofit leaders worry people will have few places to go if the city cracks down on encampments.

"We just simply don't have enough space for every level," Matt Dildine said. "Our waiting lists are hundreds of people long."

Dildine leads the Fresno Mission, a nonprofit that offers housing, counseling, food, and other services to Fresno's unhoused population.

Recent data reported by the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care shows that more than 3,200 people were homeless in Fresno in 2023. They are now at the center of heated discussions inside Fresno City Hall.

City Council Members met on Monday to take the first step toward banning sitting, lying, sleeping, and camping in public places.

It came a week after the governor called on cities to crack down and a month after the Supreme Court gave the green light to such laws.

"What I feel like this ordinance is doing, what I feel like the state's doing in terms of its impact ... We're drowning in the middle of a lake, and then you're telling me I'm drowning in the middle of the ocean," Dildine said.

The Mission's call for help comes as similar nonprofits, like Fresno's Poverello House, say its emergency shelters are typically 99 percent full.

"There's not enough shelter beds to shelter everyone, nor do I think the city or county, or anyone else, is presenting that as a reality in our community," CEO Zack Darrah said. "We find that there is a lot of need."

Back at the Mission, Dildine recognizes why the city council is considering such action but says it will do little to address the root causes of homelessness. He is calling for a new approach that combines short-term and long-term needs.

"We have a shift that's more focused on building places for emergency housing with treatment where that treatment is not optional," Dildine said.

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