About a month ago, Amanda Siefert noticed someone was living in a tent adjacent to her Greenwood property. Though on her neighbor’s land, she is concerned about a person living just feet from her home.
Submitted photo
Two Greenwood residents are continuing to express concern over the lack of an ordinance addressing people living in tents on private properties.
During public comment at Wednesday’s city council meeting, resident Amanda Siefert expressed concerns about a homeless person living in a tent on her neighbor’s property near her fence. The person had lived in the garage of the home at one point, but later moved out into the tent, she said.
Siefert had reached out to city officials earlier this month to ask if something could be done about the tent, however, because it was on private property, city officials said their hands are tied because there is no ordinance addressing tent living.
Since she first spoke to city officials, the tent has been removed. She still has concerns, however.
“Over the last few years, the same man has come to my neighbors and lived in his garage for periods of time before moving on, but he always seems to come back,” Siefert told the city council. “As of (Nov. 4), the tent thankfully is gone, but he’s still around. It’s only a matter of time before he again will be living in the garage or a tent.”
She has addressed these concerns with her neighbors in the past, however, she says she’s been ignored. The person has also been trespassed from the property in the past. This was after she found the person on her porch looking for cell service, Siefert said.
As a parent, this was not what Siefert expected to be dealing with. After reaching out to the city and being told nothing could be done because it was private property, she’s asking for something to be changed.
Referencing a Daily Journal article published on Tuesday about the issue and homelessness in Johnson County, Siefert took issue with Mayor Mark Myers’ statement that the city has no way to regulate who can or cannot put up a tent on private property. The city has many ordinances for many situations where people could be cited, like having a camper parked on someone’s personal property or when someone is living in another person’s garage, she said.
“But a homeowner can allow someone to pitch a tent in his backyard that bumps up to the parking lot at the busiest restaurant in our city, and it’s perfectly fine,” Siefert said. “Does it make sense to you? That’s not beautiful. It’s not respectful.”
While she understands officials never thought this would be an issue, she’s talking about it because it’s affecting her everyday life. Siefert is not trying to target the homeless community or demean them, she said.
“I am a person of compassion and I’m willing to work with the city to fix this issue in any way I can,” she said.
One of Siefert’s neighbors, Pat Downing, also asked the city council to address the issue. Downing has seen Greenwood grow from 15,000 to 60,000 in population since he’s lived in the city, and it disturbed him to know that someone is allowed to live in an easement behind the properties.
It’s also disturbing that nothing can be done because the person has the homeowner’s permission, he said.
“I do have sympathy for some of the homeless and we hope the city can help with the relocation of some of these folks,” Downing said. “… But what I’d like to see is the city come up with an ordinance that would keep people from living in tents on their property.”
Siefert had previously said she hoped would that the city put an ordinance in place prohibiting people from living in tents or dwellings that are not deemed habitable — like sheds and garages. It should also implement fines for the homeowners that have allowed people to live on their land, she said.
Myers had previously said that when the city is made aware of someone struggling to find shelter, they are referred to nonprofit organizations like the United Way. Part of the difficulty, though, is finding people who are without homes.
His office has worked with the police department to keep track of areas that, in the past, have served as camps for the homeless. However, they have been abandoned and officials don’t know where they went, he said.
City council member Linda Gibson, who represents Siefert’s neighborhood, is disappointed in the overall situation. While she doesn’t know much about the neighbor or the homeless person, if it was her neighbor, she would be upset with them for allowing the person to live on the property, she said Friday.
If someone had come forward when the person was living in the garage, the city would have had the option to do something as it would have been against the zoning ordinance, Gibson said.
“Once he moved out of the garage and was given permission for a tent, we don’t have an ordinance that addresses that,” Gibson said.
Now though, Gibson has been informed the city could address the tent issue as a nuisance matter. Both handling it as a nuisance matter, along with creating an ordinance addressing the issue, could help in the future, she said. No new ordinance has been proposed as of now though.
“The nuisance would give us an opportunity to take care of it,” Gibson said. “But at this point, the tent is gone.”
Gibson hopes the person has found a better housing situation especially as winter is approaching.
“I would hope that whatever accommodations that this man has found, that maybe those will put him on a better road for his own life as well,” she said.
