By Staff On February 5, 2020, Fresno mayoral candidate Jerry Dyer announced his plan to help the city’s homeless. It called for applying practices already proven in communities throughout America. Dyer began by identifying homelessness as “the most pressing issue facing the City of Fresno.” Surrounded by clergy and civic leaders, Fresno’s former police chief continued, “I believe we are in a crisis regarding our homeless population in the City of Fresno.” He then went on to describe “the vision that I have and a path forward” for serving homeless Fresnans. Dyer then outlined his plan. Getting people off the streets, assessed and into housing forms its core. This is what successful programs do. Dyer proposed “the establishment of navigation centers, combined with bridge housing.” Large structures manufactured by the Sprung comany, “similar to here at the Rescue Mission,” would provide a place of safety, temporary housing and assessment. Relocation to more permanent housing follows. Dyer’s prosed navigation center would function “simply as a place we can bring our homeless population to, so that we can centralize services to them.” “We’re not asking people to clean up before they come. . . . Bring your pets, bring your belongings and…
