Homelessness forums defined by good data, limited public attendance

LACONIA — The city wrapped up a series of community forums to gather data, educate and discuss the issue of homelessness last week. According to Laconia police Det. Eric Adams, there are between 300-400 people without housing in the city.

This number, however, may be much higher, as it only accounts for those who are visible out on the streets, and not people who are in camps or couch surfing.

As the visibility of homelessness increases, so does concern among citizens.

The forums were constructed by Mayor Andrew Hosmer’s homelessness task force as a way for the public to express their observations, and even offer solutions. While organizers have appreciated the data they collected, they, along with some attendees, expressed disappointment with public engagement and turnout at the events.

"I was very appreciative of all the people that showed up at each forum,” Hosmer said. “I learned a lot about how they view homelessness and housing instability. I am disappointed that more people didn’t show up and participate."

“Attendance wasn't as robust as we would have liked,” said Margret Franckhauser, a consultant with JSI, the firm responsible for collecting data and running the forums. “Having said that, the last session we did had 21 people. Even with 10 people, we had very lively conversations. We were hoping for more people but we were happy to get who we had because we know community input is important.”

Marc Forgione, a resident and former city council candidate, viewed the forums as a “good starting point,” but called the turnout “abysmal.” Forgione attended two sessions.

“The [session at] the middle school was a little better, but we’re talking like 20 people,” Forgione said. “A lot of folks want to complain, but not a lot of folks want to do anything.”

Franckhauser attributed the poor turnout to not enough advertising.

“Advertise, advertise, advertise,” Franckhauser said, suggesting that COVID-19 may have been a factor in getting people in seats. “Fliers, more advertising and word of mouth. Our concern is that people had something to say but didn't come to the meetings.”

Forgione also praised the efforts of local photographer Ronnie Abbott, who shared information about the forums on social media. Despite these efforts, and traditional advertisements placed by forum organizers, Forgione pointed to a lack of followthrough from the public.

“It was very well known this was going on,” Forgione said. “I know it's been in the works a long time. It's just that the issues have gotten worse. The more and more homeless folks you see, the more people are going to be aware. Some won't do anything about it until it directly affects them.”

Local artist and magician Larry Frates said he thought the forums were well organized.

“They were very positive both in terms of the people running the meeting and the people at the meeting,” Frates said. “Everybody was very supportive of the idea but realizing that it's not going to be easy to solve the problem.”

Frates stated that he saw nearly 30 people at his session, which was likely the largest turnout. “I wasn't at the other meetings, so I can't speak to their turnout,” Frates said. “When I saw the number there, I thought ‘this is a good turnout,’ but I would have liked to see more.”

Frates added that he thinks the long-term goal of the forums will work out and praised the work of Adams.

Despite the small attendance from the public, Franckhauser reiterated the importance of the data they gathered, and that there were many interesting suggestions from the public. What those suggestions are won’t be available until all the data has been correlated into a report later this year.

Some forums featured members of community currently experiencing homelessness community to tell their story in person. Amy Beaudoin, who is currently working full-time in Waterville Valley, remains unhoused in Belknap County.

“I think the feedback from the community was well accepted,” Beaudoin said of the forums, praising the organizers for targeting misconceptions surrounding people experiencing homelessness. “I questioned some of the more authority people because no matter what we want, we’re not going to get. I feel like we’re being pushed out.”

Although officers like Adams are changing how police operate, people like Beaudoin are slow to trust law enforcement and city officials. Beaudoin cited police waking up sleeping unhoused people in the night and forcing them to move from certain properties, as well as the endless cycle of city workers disposing of property left in public, forcing people experiencing homelessness to start over.

“A couple years ago I had a BMW and the city came and took my tent and my keys were in there, so I lost my BMW,” Beaudoin said, adding that she could not afford to get replacement keys made for the car.

Fortunately for Beaudoin, her new employer has lent her a car, allowing her to make the 50-minute commute for her cleaning job. But others in her situation are not as fortunate.

“Who hires someone who is homeless?” Beaudoin questioned. “You tell someone you’re homeless, they don’t hire you. I got very lucky with my boss.”

Despite working full time and borrowing a car, Beaudoin is still unable to find housing.

“It’s almost $1,000 a month for a studio apartment. Who can afford that?” Beaudoin said. “You’re building all these half-a-million-dollar condos that will bring in who? Vacationers? One-weekers?”

As Hosmer, Adams and other members of the task force have noted, housing instability is a massive contributor to the homelessness crisis. But for people like Beaudoin, the solution doesn’t lie in just addressing the causes of homelessness.

Beaudoin thinks the solution is for the city to donate either land or a building where people experiencing homelessness can live and get back up on their feet. A suggestion that would be hard pressed to garner support.

“I was hoping we could get the State School property,” Beaudoin said, stating she was considering appealing such an idea to the governor. Currently there are plans for the State School property to be renovated into a mixed-income housing and retail space, but development is years down the road.

“I think people are starting to understand this is not a police department problem and Isaiah 61 [Cafe] problem or city welfare problem, it's a community-wide issue we're confronting, and everybody plays a role in how we solve these challenges,” Hosmer said, adding that just shooing people from one area to the city to another is not a solution.

"You've got to know who they are where they are and what the numbers actually are, not hearsay. The long-range goal is to come out in the spring with the report."

As for the future of the forums, Hosmer and Franckhauser stated there could be up to four more, albeit with more focused audiences. There will be a forum just for business owners, one for health care and addiction service providers, and one at Isaiah 61 Cafe for people currently experiencing homelessness to share their thoughts.

There are also tentative plans to have a forum at Laconia High School.

“What brought this to my attention was attending the summer learning lab at Laconia High School,” Hosmer said. “I went in and the students had so many questions for me in my capacity as mayor, and so many were regarding homelessness. It struck me that that is a population we should talk to and listen to because housing instability is impacting school age children. There are students going through instability or witnessing what their peers are going through experiencing housing instability.”