When the Pacific Sun last reported on Sean Derning, Marin County had seized the converted bus he lived in on Binford Road and temporarily put him up in a motel.
Now, he’s back on Binford, this time in a tent.
Until January, Derning was one of 45 people living in a sanctioned RV homeless encampment on a stretch of highway in unincorporated Marin, just beyond the Novato city limit. The county evicted him because his possessions spilled out of his bus onto the roadside.
After spending about 10 days in a motel, Derning, 47, pitched a tent on the narrow side of Binford Road and moved in. He sits about 50 feet from where his bus was parked.
A mound of dirt separates his tent from the busy two-lane street. Flanked on the other side by Rush Creek Marsh, his home occasionally floods with tidewater.
The camper, previously protected from the elements, is currently exposed to rain, cold and heat. While his bus had a bathroom, the tent does not. He must walk down the dangerous road—where a pedestrian was struck and injured by a vehicle—to use a porta-potty.
How did Derning’s situation go from bad to worse? Back in the motel, he was offered an intake interview for a spot at a local shelter that is usually at capacity. According to Derning and his advocate, those plans were crushed by bureaucracy.
Suffering from PTSD, Derning designated Robbie Powelson as his support person. Derning said he filed paperwork to allow his case manager, Episcopal Community Services, a county contractor, to communicate with Powelson.
Initially, ECS kept the advocate in the loop, then suddenly stopped, Powelson said. When Derning wanted Powelson to accompany him to a shelter interview, the request was denied. The prospect of going alone overwhelmed Derning.
“I’m like, I can’t talk,” Derning said. “Like, you can’t do this. Like, it just doesn’t work. Like, I can’t understand things. Like, my brain shuts down, you know? I only talk with Rob.”
No Powelson. No intake. No spot at the shelter.
For the record, Powelson is controversial. He uses the legal system to hold municipalities and nonprofits accountable, helping homeless people file lawsuits to preserve their civil rights.
It’s understandable that the county and its contractors are guarded with Powelson, but Derning trusts him. And a disabled individual is entitled by the Americans with Disabilities Act to authorize a support person. The county and its contractors have created an impasse by refusing to recognize Powelson.
Sadly, in the end, only Derning ends up losing.
Marin County and Episcopal Community Services declined to comment for this article, citing client confidentiality.
