Modesto city officials invite the public to talk about the current problem of homelessness and city parks at a town hall meeting on Friday. The city continues to receive complaints about homeless people camping in parks, as well as drug use and other bad behavior. The community wants their parks back and wants to work with city officials to make that possible. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. This is obviously in no way intended to criminalize homelessness or promote a negative stigma about homelessness. The focus is on people's behavior that breaks the law, such as drug use, and other actions that make the park unappealing, such as urinating and defecating in public or leaving used needles in park bathrooms. People who feed the homeless when they visit a park just give the individual more reason to stay in the park and wait for others to ask for food or money. This can also cause parks to fill up with gallons. One park in particular, Enslen Park, has had homeless people camping out for as long as anyone can remember. Over the past decade, however, residents have noticed a sharp increase in homelessness that grows every day. Residents near the park have noticed an increase in drug use, alcohol use and even burglaries at homeless homes around the park. City officials understand that this is not an easy problem to address or solve. One of the biggest problems the city faces is communicating with the homeless population. Homeless people don't exactly have a home address, landline or cell phone to easily find and communicate with them. Some homeless people also suffer from mental disorders or do not speak English, which means that trying to communicate with them can present many challenges. City officials are planning to hire more interpreters and mental health officials to help increase communication and provide more support between city officials and the homeless. Previously, the city had attempted to help solve this problem by raising awareness of the city's homeless shelter. This attempt failed because there was not enough space to support even a quarter of the homeless population. The city is looking to fund a new nonprofit homeless shelter that can house, feed and support more people. The city's new action plan will be to increase police presence near parks and raise awareness of city services that can help with housing, jobs and drug assistance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Reflection I addressed the general population to help raise awareness of those who don't understand the issue and so that those who are aware can express their opinion. Homelessness is not a new problem and is present in every city around the world. The problem of homelessness will never go away, but the hope is to allow families and the general population to go to a park without the worry of having to beg, use drugs or urinate in front of them, or having to worry about accessories such as needles . around their children. The problem in Modesto and California is the increase in the homeless population and specifically the increase in crime in Modesto by said homeless population. Homeless people tend to congregate around the city center, more.