COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you were driving downtown Tuesday afternoon you likely saw a huge plume of black smoke. We now know that it was the result of arson at a homeless camp.
Two separate fires were set Tuesday afternoon at homeless camps behind the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Carl Mahone, 54, is charged with aggravated arson. Court records show he has a history of homelessness and criminal charges.
At one point in 2017, he wrote a letter to a judge about not wanting to be released from jail. He wrote in part, "prison is easy for me, staying free and sober is what's hard for me."
His story is one example of the difficulty to break the cycle of addiction, a factor that leads to living on the streets. Right now advocates working to curb homelessness in Columbus say their challenge is greater than ever.
"Our community is experiencing a really dramatic and persistent lack of affordable housing. So even folks who are working and maybe earning minimum wage still can't earn enough to afford a typical apartment in Columbus,” said Sara Loken, Community Relations Director of the Community Shelter Board. “People are really being priced out of safe and stable housing right now.”
In fact, last year, Franklin County had a record number of evictions, according to filings in Franklin County Municipal Court.
This in turn, puts pressure on the shelter system. However, Sara Loken from the Community Shelter Board says space is available right now.
“Families with children are never turned away from the shelter. And we do also still have open beds available for single men and single women,” Loken said.
Loken says she is grateful the issue of affordable housing is now at the forefront, as mentioned Tuesday in the mayor's state of the city address.
But it's only a start.
“It's a really challenging problem that we need everyone to care about. We need everyone to care that we live in a community where everyone has the opportunity to have their basic needs met, and to take care of themselves and to thrive,” Loken said.