In an effort to house the homeless, city takes control of RiverWalk pavilion

A Chattahoochee RiverWalk pavilion that had been commandeered by a combination of homeless people and those needing a place to congregate during the day, has been reclaimed by the city.

For many years the pavilion, just below 22nd Street, has been a gathering place for the homeless, low-income people and those offering them assistance. About four weeks ago, Columbus police began an effort to move the people out of the area through the enforcement of city ordinances that restrict the use of the park during overnight hours, said Chief Ricky Boren. Signs have been erected stating the park closes at 11 p.m. For about 10 days, police have been going through the area, which is between First Avenue and the Chattahoochee River, enforcing the hours of use.

The city has also removed all of the picnic tables and benches that were under the pavilion. One of the reasons the area was popular among the homeless is it is hidden from the road, has electricity and public bathrooms. It is also within short walking distance of several agencies that assist the homeless.

"What got our attention was not only the crime element, but that the homeless people had clearly moved in and set up an encampment," Boren said. "There were tables, chairs, cooking utensils, you name it."

It's the second public park that the city has focused on since early August when it encouraged faith-based groups to stop feeding the homeless and needy in a park owned by the Columbus Water Works. Neil Richardson, executive director of Chattahoochee Valley Jail Ministries, and SafeHouse, a homeless ministry in Rose Hill United Methodist Church at 2101 Hamilton Road, were involved in moving those feedings out of the park between Second Avenue and Veterans Parkway and into SafeHouse and other agencies that already performing that work.

Police began photographing the area about four weeks ago and reached out to Home for Good, a United Way agency that is addressing the homeless problem in Columbus.

Because of "Zero: 2016," a national effort in which Home for Good has been awarded housing vouchers for homeless veterans and the chronic homeless, the timing was right to move on the pavilion, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said.

"This has been a process," she said. "We have been working with Home for Good and now the timing was appropriate to use law enforcement. Before we could just go in there, we had to have a meaningful alternative."

Home for Good has been working at the pavilion to identify those who could be moved into transitional housing using the federal vouchers.

"Our goal here is not to put people in jail," Boren said. "We are trying to get them off the streets and into a safe haven."

Richardson was part of the team that helped evaluate who was using the pavilion before the move to close the encampment.

"There were clearly several homeless people sleeping there," he said. "But what we also discovered was there was a group that just hung out there, and they are housed. This was just their place. What is happening now is the folks who are already housed are not going down there. And the folks who need to be housed are being processed."

Richardson has also been involved in convincing the ministries working at the pavilion to reconsider.

"As we were talking to the ministries, they had seen a change down there," Richardson said. "Those who were staying down there had developed a sense of ownership, and when others were coming in, fights were breaking out. That began to get folks attention."

Tomlinson said as the process plays out, the pavilion, which is plainly visible from the Chattahoochee whitewater course, could become a more stable place along the RiverWalk.

"You will see the process continue as the individuals who were using the encampment are placed," Tomlinson said. "We can then set up more normal and routine enforcement down there. At that point you will see the use normalize."

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "In an effort to house the homeless, city takes control of RiverWalk pavilion ."