More than 120 people turned out Tuesday evening at South Medford High School for a town hall-style forum on homelessness.

The event was the third of four sessions being hosted by Medford City Council this spring — each held in a different council ward — to allow community input on issues related to homelessness in the city.

Those in attendance were given the chance to submit written questions and concerns to be addressed by city officials during the meeting. Ward 2 council members Tim D’Alessandro and Zac Smith hosted the session along with city, fire and police officials.

Issues that were brought up mirrored earlier forums, including increasing crime, needles and human feces left in downtown storefronts, calls for police service at the downtown library, and a shortage of jail space.

Some in attendance voiced frustration about the amount of resources being poured into the problem.

“The more money they dump on this situation, or whatever you want to call it, the worse it seems to get. I don’t know if I’m the only one seeing that or what,” said Silas Combs, a retired Medford native. “At what point do we figure out that doing the same thing again and again is the definition of insanity?”

Addressing questions about stolen shopping carts and camping regulations, Medford police Chief Justin Ivens told the audience that the city’s storage area on McAndrews Road recently had 250 to 300 shopping carts waiting for local retailers to pick them up.

“If you would have told me 28 years ago when I got into (law enforcement) that I’d be talking about shopping carts and homelessness, I’d have told you that you were crazy,” he quipped.

Ivens said the threat of a citation does little for community members who already have little to lose. Stores, on the other hand, are fined for not reclaiming the stolen carts.

“These folks have a shopping cart for a reason. It’s not because they’re wealthy or they have a lot of options,” said Ivens.

“(Enforcement) is like getting blood out of a turnip, so we try to work with them and help them understand. Shopping carts are expensive, and we try to get them back to the store in the best condition we can.”

A focus of all three sessions held so far — a fourth and final session is planned for June 20 at Santo Community Center — has been the lack of jail space in Jackson County.

Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino said the jail “is not acceptable for a community of our size.”

“There are people we are force-releasing on a daily basis that pose a danger to our community,” he said, noting that city and regional officials were brainstorming ways to promote the idea of funding a bigger jail.

Council member Tim D’Alessandro said more jail space as well as additional treatment resources are desperately needed.

D’Alessandro said accountability is “the piece that’s missing in this whole thing.”

“If somebody has an addictions issue, and you can keep them long enough to sober up, they have an opportunity to make decisions about treatment. Currently we aren’t doing that. We are force-releasing and sending them back out into the community to commit crimes, stealing to get their next fix,” he said.

“It’s not a black-and-white issue. … Keep that in mind when you think about jail space. It’s not about taking everybody off the street and throwing them in the jail. It’s about fixing the problem and giving them the opportunity to get treatment. … There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to this.”

Ivens said the lack of jail space and ongoing impacts from Measure 110 create roadblocks for law enforcement. 

“When I first started, it was a felony to possess meth, heroin, fentanyl, it didn’t matter, whatever. It was a felony. Now, it’s an infraction that comes with less of a fine than not wearing your seatbelt,” he said.

Linda McFadden, of Medford, questioned why issues at the Medford library “got so out of hand” before being addressed.

After the meeting, McFadden pointed out that the exterior of the library seemed to be improving “during business hours when they have security” but that more changes are needed.

“The two downstairs bathrooms are closed indefinitely. I was there the other day and asked security why that was, and they said, ‘Well, because security can’t keep track of all the bathrooms at the same time,” she said.

“It’s crazy that it all just got so completely out of control so quickly.”

McFadden voiced frustration with social services being provided at the library. She said she was thankful the city hosted the town hall meetings to give residents a place to ask questions.

City Manager Brian Sjothun told the those in attendance that the city has no jurisdiction over the library and that citizens should voice concerns about the library to library district officials. Sjothun said the library situation remains “a huge concern” for city officials.

“I really encourage anyone and everyone that is upset about what’s happening at the library to actually go to one of their board meetings,” he said.

“Don’t send an email. Go to a board meeting.”

Medford resident Art Buchanan said he hoped to see more effort put into protecting Bear Creek and further discussion of a bigger jail.

“Bear Creek feels like it’s become a public toilet. The impact to that natural resource is something I think we all need to be far more concerned about,” Buchanan said. “If you walk down through (Hawthorne) Park, the needles, human waste and trash, it’s not hard to see the lack of regard for the place we all live.”

Buchanan clarified that he didn’t believe “jail is the only option for the homeless, but it is for the ones committing crimes.”

Buchanan said he hoped to see more opportunities for the public to weigh in.

“All I know is we definitely need some change,” he said.

The fourth town hall meeting, on June 20 at the Santo Center, 701 N. Columbus Ave., will be hosted by Ward 3 council members Kevin Stine and Chad Miller. The meeting will be held from 6-7:30 p.m.