Downtown Redevelopment and Homeless Services:

History and Factors Behind the Soledad Street Controversy

Social and Behavioral Sciences Department

Senior Capstone

Aaron Smith

Background

• Soledad Street/Chinatown Revitalization Project

• Salinas Downtown Community Board (SDCB)

• Service Learning Capstone

Research Question

What factors have contributed to the inability to find a permanent location for the provision of homeless services in Central Salinas?

Theory and Literature *

• New Urban Political Economy

• Perspectives on Homelessness

• The “Not In My Backyard” Syndrome

Methodology

• Mixed Methods: A Concurrent Nested Strategy

• Semi-Structured Interviews

• Content Analysis• NIMBYism • Cost/Benefit Accounting

• Symbolic Politics• and Other

ResultsResultsHistorical Analysis

Salinas Central City P lanning and Revitalization

P rogram StudySwinging Door Established

J oint P owers Agreement (DSSB)

Swinging Door CUP 84-40 Appeal

Swinging Door Opens on Soledad St.

P hase II Redevelopment Strategy

Soledad & Lake Street Relocation Attempt

Height of Sun Street Relocation Attempt

Creation of the Wheel of Hope, Inc.

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

Results (continued)

“It was basically a group of Downtown interests, wanting to do something to make sure that the homeless issues stay out of Downtown…The merchant body and property owner groups, for fairly good reasons, were concerned about the negative impact of the homeless community and the affiliate drugs, you know, the folks who use the homeless community as a shield to sell and buy drugs, was a deterrent to the economic vitality of Downtown. So they wanted to do everything they could to get that stuff north of Market” (Bussard Interview, November 14, 2006).

Rational TypePosition Toward Relocation

Pro ConNIMBYist 34 11 Cost/Benefit Accounting 19 31 Symbolic Politics 9 0 Other 3 4Total 65 46

P value = .002, which is less than a = 0.05

Results (continued)

Results (continued)

Year1994199319921991199019891987198619851984198319821980

# Ref

.

12.5

10.0

7.5

5.0

2.5

0.0

Other

Symbolic Politics

Cost/BenefitAccounting

NIMBY

Rational

Figure 1. Amount of Discussion Over Time

ConclusionsThree Factors Contributing to the Inability to

find a permanent location for the provision of homeless services:

1) The Swinging Door as a Resource for Redevelopment

2) The DSSB as a Growth Coalition

4) A Shift of Responsibility to the Wheel of Hope, Inc.

Questions?Questions?

Special Thanks To:Don Reynolds and the Salinas Redevelopment

Agency

Interview Participants: Martin Dodd Jesse ArmentaDoug Iwamoto Larry Bussard

Robert Smith Frank Saunders

Capstone Committee: Dr. Angie Tran

Dr. Seth Pollack