This is not in defense of the City of Manteca.

Nor is it a criticism.

Instead, it is about reality.

And the need to be pragmatic.

The city — contrary to the braying on social media — is doing something about the homeless.

And they are doing it every day.

City workers as well as a contracted firm are cleaning up the messes they make in public places on a daily basis.

That often includes the No. 2 as well as the remnants of some of the bad habits among the homeless who are addicted and use syringes and such.

We don’t see most of it,  even though we think we can.

That’s because the city stays on top of it as much as they can physically and legally do.

Yes, there are encampments around town and homeless bedding down in public places.

The city, just like any other jurisdiction in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, or Alaska that are under the umbrella of the 9th District Court of Appeals.

We are a nation of laws.

It is the glue that holds a nation together.

Too often people that seethe red or turn blue to the point they lose perspective, forget that.

The unsheltered are human beings.

They are, for the most part, American citizens.

They have rights just like everyone else.

And those rights include being able to do basic functions such as sleep and go to the bathroom.

Of course, the issue is where they do both.

Judges rightfully decided because the homeless lack access to shelter or financial means doesn’t mean the government — read that, cities — can make it impossible to do either in their jurisdictions.

And they are no different from other categories of people whether they are identified by ethnicity, religion or absence thereof, sexual orientation of whatever: They can’t legally be run out of town.

At the same time, being homeless — or those identified as being part of any other grouping of human beings — do not have carte blanche to do what they want.

The homeless are not above the law.

But they are protected by law just like everyone else.

It is ironic that those who view what they see as “judicial activism” with disdain, take pot shots at the court for either imposing a homeless remedy or not coming up with an end all solution.

The courts have been pushed to propose remedies in dealing with grievances filled on behalf of the homeless as well as those seeking relief from the degradation of property and neighborhoods the homeless often cause.

It is because courts rule on whether laws are constitutional, whether they are being applied properly, and if the degree of enforcement — or  lack thereof — causes injuries to others.

There is a reason why justice is symbolized by scales and a blind woman.

You can also rest assured that those in government, whether elected or otherwise, are just as frustrated as everyone else when it comes to addressing homeless issues.

Last week, City Manager Toni Lundgren expressed a sentiment most of us have.

“You know how government can be,” was her apt comment about the pace of getting a homeless navigation center in place in Manteca.

Cities and counties essentially are allowed to exist as government entities by the state and — by extension — the federal government.

That means the local jurisdictions must follow state and federal laws.

They jump through almost all the same hoops as everyone else.

The city, to its credit, has opted to plot a course that can actually address the problem to a large degree instead of continuing to run around in circles or sticking their head in the sand as many other jurisdictions are doing.

Solutions cost money.

Rest assured, almost all of us can come up with things we’d rather see $28 million spent on than a homeless navigation center.

The same goes for the $800,000 plus the city is now spending on direct homeless services.

But give the city credit for two things.

First, they have made lining up grants in advance or getting reimbursed via federal and state sources to pursue efforts to address homelessness a priority.

As such, not a penny in general fund money used to fund day-to-day services has been touched.

This may not always end up being the case, but so far so good.

The second thing was to secure a $16 million grant from the state for a specific project.

The political heavy-lifting of working with State Sen. Susan Eggman to secure the money was done by Mayor Gary Singh.

He was able to do so because the Manteca City Council developed not just an unusual holistic approach for a California city of less than 150,000 residents but secured a well-situated site.

It is near services and amenities such as transit are an essential key to making the transition process from homeless to being able ultimately shelter one’s self possible.

Because of that, Manteca has secured more funding than Tracy has for a 153-bed shelter figuratively beyond the edge of town and to do so for a facility being designed for a capacity of 283.

On top of that, portable dorms now in place for temporary emergency shelter at 555 Industrial Park Drive that the city plans to double hopefully with a federal grant to accommodate 100 beds can be moved to the navigation center for potential future use.

That means Manteca will have well-positioned itself to avoid having to use local money to expand the center If it develops 283 beds aren’t enough.

The last point-in-time count in 2022 put the number of unsheltered in Manteca at 218.

City officials anticipate the next homeless census being conducted later this month will be higher.

Not only will the strategy the city is pursuing likely assure the homeless can adequately be assisted, but it gives Manteca enough capacity to enforce efforts eliminate camping on all public property as sleeping on public sidewalks and such.

All of this is indeed not happening fast enough due to legal and government restraints.

However, the city is doing “something” about the homeless.

And it is a path that can improve the lot of those who are now homeless and significantly address quality of life issues that the homeless are creating for the community.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com