HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-920 - Safe Camping Initiative (3)
CityClerk
From:Abigail Houck <houck.abigail@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, June 15, 2025 5:32 PM
To:Agenda Item Comment
Subject:Agenda item regarding proposed unhoused camp adjacent to Park Meadows
neighborhood
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From: Abigail Houck
1357 S Kingfisher Lane
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Park Meadows Neighborhood
To: Fayetteville City Council
Subject: Agenda item regarding proposed unhoused camp adjacent to Park Meadows neighborhood
Dear Mayor and Members of the Fayetteville City Council:
I am writing as a concerned resident of Park Meadows—adjacent to the parcel currently under consideration for a
city-run unhoused camp. My partner Daniel and I purchased our first home here just last year, investing everything we
had to build a safe, stable foundation for our future while I pursue my doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas.
Park Meadows is a neighborhood known for growung families, children playing outdoors, and neighbors who look out
for each other. We fully empathize with individuals experiencing homelessness, and as someone originally from an area
where becoming unhoused is common, I have witnessed firsthand the difficulties they face. But placing a camp so close
to family homes, AND SO FAR FROM ACTUAL RESOURCES, raises serious concerns—about safety, community
well-being, and practical outcomes—for everyone involved.
1. Community Safety & Crime Concerns
Fayetteville already experiences elevated crime: local data shows an overall crime rate of 38 per 1,000 residents—one in
26 people—small-city high compared to the national averages . Violent crime stands at 4 per 1,000 (1 in 235 chance),
and property crime at 34 per 1,000 (1 in 30 chance).
Encampment risks are real: Minneapolis park encampments saw a surge in violent incidents—shootings, sexual assaults,
stabbings, a homicide of a homeless individual—before they were closed . In Vancouver, WA, an aid center triggered
localized crime increases, vandalism, and lure of tenting on nearby streets.
2. Impact on Families & Children
Park Meadows is a family-centered area—kids ride bikes, walk tithe neighborhood, play in our yards. Placing a camp
nearby brings potential for unsanitary conditions, discarded needles, and public drug activity—risks already evident in
cases like Berkeley’s Ohlone Park, which became overrun with human waste, needles, fights, and a spike in 911 calls .
Even with good intentions, unmanaged camps in residential areas erode neighbors’ sense of safety. Children and parents
should feel secure in their own front yards and sidewalks.
3. Personal Insight & Perspective
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Through the experiences of many of my friends who have been unhoused over the years, I understand how precarious
life can be without shelter, stability, or services. I support helping the unhoused—but only in a well-suited location
where there is:
Proximity to wraparound services (counseling, detox support, employment training).
Security staffing (ample, definitely more than just one staff on hand At all times), 24/7 monitoring, sanitation facilities,
lighting.
Spatial separation from family neighborhoods and schools.
Unfortunately, the poster-child “makes-sense” location adjacent to Park Meadows meets none of these criteria.
4. Alternative Locations & Practical Solutions
I respectfully suggest exploring sites better suited for this purpose:
Commercial zones with buffer space (e.g. near north MLK/Greenwood), where facility support and transportation are
available.
Vacant church or nonprofit-owned parcels, allowing structured redevelopment.
Partnerships with existing nonprofits like Goodwill, Mercy Clinic, or local faith groups, which could co-locate services.
Consider rotating shelters or smaller “navigation centers” with case managers, modeled after programs that saw crime
decrease by ~25% ℅ LA’s Pallet shelter model .
5. Conclusion & Respectful Request
To honor our shared commitments—to equity, to safety, to community—I respectfully urge the Council to:
Reject placing a large camp adjacent to Park Meadows until a comprehensive services model, operational plan, and
impact analysis are completed.
Locate the camp elsewhere, in areas supported by infrastructure and with geographic separation from family residences.
Engage residents through town halls and open forums for transparency, input, and accountability.
This is not NIMBYism—it’s about ensuring that compassionate policy is also responsible policy. We all want unhoused
Arkansans to have dignity, safety, and true opportunity—and we also want our children, neighbors, and new
homeowners to feel secure in their haven.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you further. I
unfortunately will be out of town on the day this is being discussed in person otherwise I would attend.
Respectfully,
Abigail Houck, M.A.
Park Meadows, Fayetteville, AR
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