More than seven years since the idea was first introduced by what is now the No Place To Go Project, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors will vote on the proposed Alternative/RV Housing Ordinance on March 10.

The ordinance will allow people to live legally in RVs, trailers and even converted school buses on private property.

It’s a county ordinance, so, of course, there are strict rules and significant costs.

Nevertheless, this ordinance is a bold and innovative action to mitigate the rural homeless/housing crisis. It sets a precedent for the entire state of California.

Nevada County values

Most of the opposition to the RV Ordinance comes from people who moved here from Sacramento, the Bay Area, Southern California and other urban areas. They seem to want to impose their homogenized “San Francisco values” upon a rural community that values its heterogeneous, live-and-let-live quality of life.

Many successful citizens in Nevada County who moved here or grew up here started out in RVs and trailers and school buses. It’s a time-honored tradition.

One veteran Realtor told me that when he showed property to newcomers, they would wrinkle their noses when they saw people living in alternative housing. He would just smile and say, “Welcome to Nevada County.”

The recent influx of highly paid remote workers buying up properties for more than market rate has made our homeless/housing crisis worse.

Low wages, high rents, soaring costs of home ownership, and the critical lack of housing are preventing children, parents, relatives, friends and employees from living  here.

Although Nevada County is a leader in California rural counties for its proactive programs to prevent homelessness, an average of five more people a month are becoming homeless according to a staff report last year from Health and Human Services Director Ryan Gruver and Behavioral Health Director Phebe Bell.

Of course, the Alternative/RV Housing Ordinance won’t solve the problem, but it is a new pathway to legal housing for low-income people.

cost analysis

Some ordinance opponents say the ordinance should be rejected because the costs and requirements are too strict. Compared to what?

Planning Commissioner Danny Milman pointed out during the contentious commission hearing Nov. 13 that the cost of putting in a pad, setting up an RV hookup and buying an RV to be a legal ADU on private property can be less than $100,000 whereas the cost of a “stick-built” ADU starts at $200,000.

Commissioner Jo Garst noted that not passing the ordinance does nothing to address the growing homeless/housing crisis.

Code Compliance

Some ordinance opponents assert the ordinance should be rejected because they allege Code Compliance isn’t doing their job.

If there’s a problem with inadequate code enforcement, that’s a reason to reform Code Compliance. It’s not a reason to reject the ordinance.

In an hour-long interview Oct. 15, Trisha Tillotson, director of Community Development, and Matt Kelley, director of Code Compliance, insisted they are doing their job as required by law and the supervisors’ board direction.

Tillotson and Kelley further stated the Code Compliance Division is not  overloaded or understaffed.

While Code Compliance has the power to take immediate action if an RV ADU presents egregious health & safety risks, Code Compliance must otherwise follow a timely procedure of escalating warnings and citations to force compliance.

If violators make good-faith attempts to comply within the constraints of their financial ability to comply, they are given time to come into compliance.

The idea is to keep good people in their homes because there is no place to go.

Instead of using bad actors as a reason to reject the ordinance, Planning Commissioners Milman, Garst and John Foley voted to give the good actors a chance to achieve legal housing.

show up, speak up

Nevada County’s motto of “live, work and play  in Nevada County” is a hollow promise if essential workers can’t afford to live here.

More than a thousand people (including me) already live in this kind of currently illegal but affordable alternative housing because that’s the only kind of housing we could find or afford.

If you believe low-wage workers, students, self-employed  creatives, single-parent families, and senior/disabled people on fixed incomes have a right to housing, then mark your calendar for 1:30 p.m. on March 10 at the Rood Center in Nevada City.

The No Place To Go Project (www.noplacetogoproject.org) has links to the county’s official page about the ordinance. The Project website also has extensive Talking Points and suggested Amendments you can use to support ordinance.

The supervisors need to see and hear that we, the people, want safe, affordable housing for our fellow citizens. We must show up with civility and respect. We must speak up with compassion and relentless reason.

This is our democracy in action.

Tom Durkin is the executive director of  the No Place To Go Project, a nonprofit organization using the creative arts to advocate social justice for at-risk and homeless people. Donations are tax-deductible and gratefully appreciated. Durkin may be contacted at www.noplacetogoproject.org.