One of the issues raised by neighbors of the Code Blue homeless shelter operated by ROME on Washington Street is easily solved.

A locking garbage dumpster will solve the problem of garbage stored behind the building being strewn throughout the area as has been reported to some City Council members. It’s an issue, but a minor one that is easily rectified.

A bigger issue is what to do when the homeless leave the evening shelters – and it’s not something ROME or the city can easily solve.

Over the past couple of years, panhandling has been on the rise throughout the city as the homeless try to scrape together money. It’s simultaneously heartbreaking and frustrating, because for every person who legitimately wants help to get something to eat, others are asking so they can buy cigarettes or worse. Businesses have seen an increase in loitering, some to the point that signs have popped up at downtown businesses saying bathrooms are for patrons only or others saying to call a phone number so the shop owner can unlock a door for patrons to enter. Complaints to a council member from the Robo car wash on Ninth Street of homeless leaving the Code Blue shelter and loitering in the gas station are the latest issues to become public, but it’s really a citywide issue that lacks an easy solution.

Paying for 24/7 shelters isn’t going to happen. Police citations are a waste of police officers’ time now that the city police department is understaffed, and the city couldn’t hold the homeless in jail for basic loitering anyway. The best solution would be requiring night-time shelter for day-time activities that compel the homeless to access services that eventually result in the homeless getting into housing. In our society there are limits as to what can be required.

Code Blue shelters are great for the cold evening hours. But that’s only half of the day. We need solutions for the other half.