Second Homeless Shelter in Bakersfield Controversy

The city of Bakersfield has just approved a 70,000 square feet homeless center for the growing population.This will be the second homeless shelter on the east side of Bakersfield . Although this could keep homeless out of the streets, many people are not happy with this. Mike Wallfold, a Bakersfield resident for over 60 years, is one of the many that believe that the city is making a big mistake by placing it in East Bakersfield since they already have a lot going on with sewage treatment plants and dog pound; he does not want anything more added (Lopez, 2020)

This shelter that is being built can help the 1,000 plus homeless people in Kern County by giving them a place to stay while they find a permanent home. The city has come down to this conclusion based on field research, gathered data from a natural environment. What the city was looking for was qualitative data that supports their choice of building a new homeless center. 

One thing that the city could have done was conduct a survey, questionnaire for the public, in order to get the public opinion. By incorporating the general public’s opinion, there could have been less of a controversy in the placement of the homeless shelter. 

Lopez, C. (2020, January 31). Plans For A Second Homeless Shelter In East Bakersfield Get Mixed Reaction. Retrieved from https://www.kvpr.org/post/plans-second-homeless-shelter-east-bakersfield-get-mixed-reaction