Monterey, CA Homeless Issues Are Serious For City And County Officials

The Monterey County Library recently hosted a standing room only forum called "Not a Crime :The Homeless in Monterey" which explored the myriad problems which the large homeless population in Monterey brings.  A census in January of last year found 2,590 Monterey County homeless residents, but the census likely undercounts the number of people that face this problem and have an average monthly income of only $657 per month.  One of the attendees, Attorney Michelle Welch who is chairwoman of the American Civil Liberties Union's Northern California section, said that the state forces legal issues on people which impede solutions to their problems.  "There are laws that regulate homelessness by criminalizing it," she said. In Monterey, for instance, it is illegal to sleep in cars in public places while in Pacific Grove, it's illegal to sleep in a car anywhere.  Unfortunately, there are no easy answers and Monterey city and county officials continue to struggle with the issue.