A Practical, Compassionate and Accountable Strategy for El Centro
Homelessness is one of the most difficult challenges facing El Centro. It affects the individuals experiencing homelessness, but it also affects neighborhoods, businesses, parks, public facilities, law enforcement, emergency services, and the overall quality of life in our community.
I believe El Centro needs an approach that combines compassion with accountability. We should provide realistic alternatives to living on the streets while maintaining reasonable standards for the use of our public spaces.
Our goal should not simply be to move homelessness from one location to another. It should be to create a coordinated system that provides a pathway off the streets while protecting the health, safety, and quality of life of the entire community.
A COORDINATED STRATEGY
1. Build on Our Existing Daytime Services
El Centro already has a daytime center providing services to people experiencing homelessness. We should build upon that existing investment rather than unnecessarily duplicating services. The daytime center should be part of a coordinated system connecting individuals with identification assistance, benefits, mental-health and substance-use treatment, employment assistance, veterans’ services, case management, and available housing programs.
2. Establish a Nonprofit-Operated Night Shelter
A daytime center does not address where people sleep at night. El Centro should pursue a nighttime shelter operated by an experienced nonprofit or nongovernmental organization rather than creating another city-operated bureaucracy. The city can be a partner and facilitator, but the shelter should have clearly defined operating standards, security procedures, rules of conduct, case-management expectations, and measurable performance goals.
3. Establish an Authorized and Managed Campground
Not every person experiencing homelessness will immediately enter a traditional shelter. For that reason, I support evaluating an authorized, managed campground as another temporary option. A properly managed site could provide designated tent spaces, potable water, sanitation facilities, shade, trash service, basic security, and connections to outreach and case-management services. It should be a controlled transitional environment with rules, supervision, time frames, and an emphasis on moving participants toward shelter, treatment, employment, transitional housing, or permanent housing.
4. Consistently Enforce El Centro’s Anti-Camping Ordinance
Providing reasonable alternatives must be accompanied by accountability. El Centro should make appropriate and consistent use of its anti-camping ordinance to address unauthorized camping in parks, sidewalks, rights-of-way, and other public spaces, consistent with applicable law and city policy. The objective should not be to criminalize homelessness. The objective should be to establish a clear community standard: public spaces cannot become permanent encampments when reasonable alternatives and services are being made available. Enforcement should be coordinated with outreach so individuals can be informed of available shelter, authorized camping, treatment, and other services.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND MEASURABLE RESULTS
Homelessness programs should not be judged simply by how much money is spent or how many programs are created. They should be judged by results. I support regular public reporting that identifies basic performance measures, including the number of individuals served, shelter utilization, individuals connected with treatment and services, transitions into temporary or permanent housing, recurring homelessness, program costs, and the condition of affected public spaces. City funding should be tied, whenever practical, to clearly defined objectives and measurable outcomes.
PARTNERSHIPS, NOT ANOTHER CITY BUREAUCRACY
El Centro cannot solve homelessness alone. The city should work closely with Imperial County, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, healthcare and behavioral-health providers, law enforcement, veterans’ organizations, businesses, and state and federal agencies. Whenever possible, we should leverage county, state, federal, nonprofit, and private resources rather than placing the entire financial burden on El Centro taxpayers.
COMPASSION + ACCOUNTABILITY
My approach can be summarized simply:
- Provide daytime services.
- Provide a nighttime shelter.
- Provide an authorized and managed campground.
- Connect people with treatment, employment, benefits, and housing.
- Enforce the city’s anti-camping ordinance appropriately and consistently.
- Protect our neighborhoods, businesses, parks, and public spaces.
- Measure results and hold programs accountable for taxpayer dollars.
We can recognize the dignity of people experiencing homelessness while also recognizing that residents and businesses have a right to safe, clean, and accessible public spaces.
El Centro needs a homelessness strategy that is compassionate, practical, fiscally responsible, and accountable—one that provides realistic alternatives to living on the streets while establishing clear expectations for everyone.
Rick Lopez
Candidate for El Centro City Council — 2026