As it is proposed, the Nevada County Planning Department’s Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) Ordinance will have little to no impact on the homeless/housing crisis in Nevada County. If Placer County’s experience is any indicator, there really isn’t much demand. Only two have been placed in Placer in the last two years.

Part of this can be explained by all the requirements and restrictions written into the Placer and Nevada County ordinances. While it may look good on paper, in reality, the regulations make it very difficult and expensive to place a THOW on private property.

And THOWs themselves are not cheap. A stripped-down, basic THOW costs around $35K, and a tricked-out model can cost more than $80K.

It is true a THOW is far less expensive than a built-onsite ADU (accessory dwelling unit), but if you’re living in your car and working at a low-wage job or subsisting on a fixed-income, buying a THOW takes time and money that you just don’t have.

Change agency

The Sierra Roots/No Place To Go Project supports passage of the THOW ordinance – but with improvements suggested by the Planning Commission and the Sierra Roots/No Place To Go Project.

Basically, it’s just a matter of modifying the language of the ordinance to include RV/trailers. In fact, the Oct. 24 staff report to the Planning Commission anticipated this: “…the design standards of the proposed ordinance are set up in a way that could allow for future modifications to open up the potential for allowing other alternative housing types,” like RV/trailers.

The commissioners voted unanimously to recommend to the supervisors to  implement “alternative housing” solutions, like RV/trailers.

However, the staff report says “additional research, analysis and stakeholder engagement” must be done before the ordinance can be modified. The reason additional research and analysis is necessary is because it’s never been done in California.

We are disappointed the additional research, analysis and stakeholder engagement hasn’t already been done since the supervisors indicated they wanted it done at their annual goal-setting workshop last January. So now, we  stakeholders must focus on getting it done as soon as possible.

That’s why we need people to come to the Rood Center in Nevada City at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26. We want people to show up and speak up to the Board of Supervisors

Politely, persistently and relentlessly reasonable, we must show the supervisors that we, the people, their constituents, want this ordinance modified to include RV/trailers because we care about our fellow citizens who are left out in the cold.

We must also persuade the supervisors to loosen up on the rules and expenses around all these homes of wheels.

If you have a Sierra Roots/No Place To Go Project T-shirt, please wear it to show solidarity. While supplies last, we will give away our few remaining shirts in the lobby at Rood Center on Nov. 26. Unfortunately, we only have small and medium-size shirts left.

TALKING POINTS

On Nov. 26, each person gets three minutes to speak their truth to power– and then the microphone automatically turns off. A short, clear and coherent statement can be more effective than a rambling, three-minute rant.

If you don’t know what to say, keep reading. Choose one of the ideas below and make it your own …

  • Nevada County can mitigate the homeless/housing crisis by making RV/trailers safe, available and affordable without having to build anything or spend millions of dollars.
  • This is about solving a problem, not “addressing” the problem.
  • Until we own the problem, we are the problem.
  • We have a homeless/housing emergency. Redefining legal housing to include RV/trailers just makes sense, especially if you care about the welfare of our unhoused citizens.
  • As proposed, these regulations are so restrictive and expensive that most people won’t be able to comply. How is that helping? Relax the regulations.
  • Most homeless people are not mentally ill or addicts. They just need housing they can afford.
  • RV/trailers are functionally the same as tiny homes on wheels. Therefore, the ordinance should accommodate all homes on wheels.
  • Currently, RV/trailers are the only truly affordable housing out there that doesn’t require government subsidy (our taxpayer dollars) to be affordable.
  • For extra income, property owners in the unincorporated areas of Nevada County  who are not using their RV/trailers can choose to rent them out to responsible people on the same basis as any other rental transaction.
  • People who have private property and the right hookups can rent space to people who have their own RV/trailers.
  • Working-age adults coming out of homelessness need RV/trailers as first-step, transitional housing on their way to better housing once they get stabilized.
  • Excluding RV/trailers is implicit class discrimination. Just because we live in RV/trailers because that’s all we could find or afford doesn’t automatically make us “trailer trash.”
  • The ordinance doesn’t have to be permanent. It could sunset when a specific housing goal (not a date) is met in the indefinite future.
  • Having a safe place to live is a human right. If there is no housing, we must at least establish safe places for people to camp or park with toilet facilities and garbage cans.

These are our own citizens. We must do the right thing.

Tom Durkin is the creative director of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project, the social justice advocacy arm of Sierra Roots, a Nevada City nonprofit serving homeless people. The Project is funded by grants and private donations, which are tax deductible.  Durkin may be contacted at tomdurkin@sierra-roots.org, www.noplacetogoproject.com or 530-559-3199.