The clearing of the homeless from the State Forest last week was startling and callous. But one thing remains quite clear, we don’t have a homeless problem, we have a housing problem.
Last week, a set of hired hands went into an encampment in the State Forest to remove tents, sleeping bags, garbage and other items belonging to the Island homeless who have made a home there. Island officials have reported that identifications, medications, and other personal belongings were taken in what felt like a raid.
There are unanswered questions about who precisely ordered this action and what has happened to the unhoused who had taken to sleeping in the forest. What is very clear is that the optics are not good for the state. And as the news continues to come out, the state officials are cast in an unflattering light. While the department issued a statement that they believed just three to five people were impacted, agencies on the Island said there were 23 individuals and two minors, and they have a documented list.
Worse still, while the state said they warned individuals that they were clearing the area, local officials say that they did not do a good enough job getting the word out — or at least only a handful of those living in the woods say they were notified.
Also, local police and other agencies, including the nonprofit Harbor Homes that provides assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness, say that they were not warned beforehand. Seemingly spur of the moment, an Edgartown officer who happened to be on a routine patrol in the forest was flagged down by the state before the raid, in the absence of any environmental or other police on scene.
We believe the state acted callously for a situation that needed careful consideration and most importantly, compassion for individuals who have been pushed out of society and have found no other place to go but the woods. What came instead was a careless disregard for the plight of people who are struggling, and that is not the Island way. That’s not who we are.
Fortunately, as the Vineyard does, a group of agencies and nonprofits including Harbor Homes, Island Grown Initiative, and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital are scrambling to fill a void and stepping up to supply much-needed aid to those who have been displaced. They continue to work to fill prescriptions, provide food, and try to find shelter. They are stepping up and helping — the true Vineyard way.
Had there been better communication from the state, maybe this disaster could have been avoided at the very beginning.
To be clear, the State Forest is no place for anyone to live. Camping increases the risk of wildfires that would have a profound impact on the entire Island if there were to be an uncontrolled burn.
But while they are not helping, the homeless aren’t the main concern for wildfire risk. Maintaining the forest by removing dead debris and other “kindling” is the better way. One state official told us this week that a contributing factor to not effectively mitigating fire risk in the State Forest is because of a lack of staffing, which, ironically, relates to a lack of housing. With no housing for the state to hire workers, how do we do what’s needed for fire mitigation?
Which leads us to the real issue: Housing. As reported last week, the median home price on the Island has ballooned to over a million dollars; the pandemic exacerbated housing prices. The average home is over $2 million. How do you work a minimum wage job or even a middle-income job and afford a million-dollar home? It’s no wonder that there is a population of homeless individuals who, with nowhere else to go, are living in the woods. Our recent reporting has found that the population is growing, and that does not include a seemingly impossible to count population who are sleeping on couches, in cars, and other temporary locations.
We are disheartened that this week state lawmakers were not able to pass housing legislation that would have included a provision to help municipalities raise money through a tax on high-end real estate, also called a transfer fee. It’s been a popular idea that has been blocked by the real-estate lobby at Beacon Hill. But lawmakers, with the signature of the governor on Monday, did manage to pass significant housing legislation that will have a direct impact on Martha’s Vineyard. The legislation will make it easier to build affordable housing and will help municipalities house their staff. Still, more needs to be done to help in the long-term goal of providing more affordable housing.
But more immediate is how do we house the most vulnerable in our community. That’s a difficult question that will take an Island-wide discussion — with the help and consideration of state officials — that needs to be addressed. We are comforted to know that Island agencies and nonprofits are working together to find a solution. We want to hear your solutions. Please drop us an email at editor@mvtimes.com. And we will highlight some of the best solutions in this space later in the month.
Without greater attention to the larger problem of affordable housing, we worry we’ll end up right back at square one, with a homeless population once again desperately seeking shelter in the shadows of the State Forest with nowhere else to go. If that happens, we as a community will have missed a chance to see the forest from the trees.
